CJ 112 Project Two

Ashleigh Stepp CJ-112 Tony King December 9, 2023 How the Criminal Justice System Works in the United States

Law Enforcement The Court System Explain how law enforcement functions.  What is the different law-enforcement agencies at different levels? There are three levels of law enforcement at the top is Federal, then state, and at the bottom is Local law enforcement. Federal law enforcement has several separate agencies such as FBI, Homeland Security, and ATF. State law enforcement consists of Highway patrol and Game wardens. Although Game wardens deal with game and wildlife the still have the authority to arrest individuals for non-game related offenses. Local/County departments are that of your local Police departments, constables, and County Sheriffs.  What are the jurisdictions of different levels of law enforcement? The jurisdictions of each law enforcement agency are different. Local/County departments are confined within the borders and county lines. The jurisdiction for the State police is that of Highway patrol and state level crimes. On the Federal level their jurisdiction is all states and U.S. territories.  How do law-enforcement officers apply discretion? The officers apply discretion once they decided to make an arrest or not. From the point that the alleged offender is arrested the Prosecutor as the discretion to bring charges against the offender or dismiss them all together. Explain how the court systems function.  What are the different court systems in the United States? There are only two different court systems, state and Federal. The State courts cover local and municipal courts as well.  What are the jurisdictions of the different court systems in the United States? The federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, in other words that can only deal with cases that are authorized by the constitution and Federal Statues.  How might a case progress through the courts? Include different possibilities—for example, plea bargain, adjudication, appeals. Once a case is entering the court system, there are many ways it could go. It begins with the offender being arrested for their crimes and processed at the jail house; this step is called entry into the system. Next would be the prosecution and pretrial services consisting of an investigation, an arrest, charges, and the preliminary hearing. From here, it can take a path to misdemeanour (lower-level crime) or the felony level, which leads into the next step of adjudication. Here the alleged criminal can be let go if found not guilty or, with a guilty verdict, enter the sentencing and corrections phases. Once that happens the offender and their lawyer can appeal the guilty verdict and have a new trial if it is approved. The Corrections System

Components of the Criminal Justice System Explain how the components of the criminal justice system function together. Answer the following question: How do the components fit together chronologically? The three main components of the criminal justice system are in the order of police, courts, corrections. these three must work together in a smooth system to make any difference in the world. The police patrol and keep us safe from the criminals on the streets. The courts enforce the punishments for the offenders convicted of their crimes and sentence them according to the crime at hand. Then corrections house and keep the convicted ones behind bars and in line. If any one of them stray from their position the whole system will fail. Technology and the Criminal Justice System In twenty-first century in the middle of the booming age of technology that we live in today has changed the criminal justice system forever. We now have new methods and devices that have been integrated into every level of the criminal justice system you can think of. Police now wear body cameras and they have become very prominent. These cameras serve as a first-hand account and irrefutable evidence of a police officer and the call that they are on, whether it be for criminal acts or a simple traffic stop. This holds the officers and individuals involved accountable for their actions, as well as serves as a tool to analyse the use of force if it is used. On the court level, many new technologies used for investigation help with the proper identification of evidence. DNA analytics has rapidly progressed and served as a vital tool in convicting and even exonerating suspects. All these technologies are used to keep the integrity among those involved. This creates transparency with the public, and as a result, more trust and respect are formed between the citizens and law enforcement. References Peak, K. J., & Herold, T. D. (2023). Introduction to Criminal Justice (5th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781071848944