Criminal Justice System Levels
Introduction
Every kind of crime consists of a certain element whose existence should be proved by the government in order for a conviction to be given by a court of law. Similarly, every crime has a law against it without which the act cannot be termed as a crime due to lack of legal prohibition. In order for criminal laws to be implemented effectively, the constitution requires that such laws are provided in written precise terms for the citizen’s clear understanding on what they should and should not do (Calia 2011, p. 1). Despite the fact that legal crimes are mostly associated with prohibited acts, failure to act in certain aspects such as child neglect is viewed as criminal offense.
Levels of law enforcement
One of the levels of law enforcement is the local law enforcement whose main duty is to conduct routine patrols at the local communities within the agents’ jurisdiction. Other duties include providing emergency services, enforcing traffic laws, assisting in conduction of local criminal investigations and providing other community services. The other level is state law enforcement whose agencies are responsible for maintain state’s highway laws and inspection of vehicles. Other duties are similar to those of the local law enforcement except that the state law enforcement has more resources and jurisdiction. The third level is the federal law enforcement which is designed to work on particular types of crimes. A very good example is the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) which is responsible for investigation and prosecution of criminals of eight specific criminal offences. Such crimes include white-collar crimes, corruption crimes, terrorism and violent crimes among others (Gil 2011, p. 1).
Elements of the correctional system
- Penitence
- Punishment
- Rehabilitation
- Reintegration
- Internal order
- Effectiveness of the programs
- Safety of the public
- Recidivism
- Operational costs.
Key players and the process of judicial system
The judicial system has key players who make are vital to the criminal trial process. They are; the defendant, the defense attorney, the prosecutor, the judge and off course the jury. The defendants have the rights, as presented in the bill of rights, that allow them to offer legal protection to suspects of all types of crimes during the process of criminal justice. The prosecutor is a representative of the government appointed to represent the people in a criminal justice process. The prosecutors are powerful in that they decide which criminal allegations should be brought to court and what convictions to be implemented and decide on the bail amount whenever necessary. The criminal justice process begins with a complaint which may be presented by a police officer or a citizen. The prosecutor then draws a legal document, the complaint, which specifies the crime and supporting facts on the allegations (Helpme.com 2011, p. 1). The complaint is then presented to a judge who after agreeing on the content of the complaint gives an arrest warrant to police to arrest the suspect of the crime. When the suspect is presented to court, questioning is done where the suspect is allowed to tell his/her story concerning the alleged crime. Evidence is then presented and witnesses give their testimonials. Conclusion is then made and a conviction given if enough evidence is found to prove the suspect guilty of the crime or the suspect is released if there is inadequate evidence against him/her.
Conclusion
In order to safeguard the society from criminal behaviors in an effective way, the criminal justice system works in coordination with all the departments of justice and levels of the judiciary system since the whole process is complex and cannot be done at one level. The law enforcement department maintains order among society members by arresting criminal offenders (Calia 2011, p. 1). The judicial system them determines whether the arrested individuals are really guilty after which the correctional system has the duty of punishing and rehabilitating those who are found to be guilty.
Reference List
Calia, R. (2011). Three levels of the justice criminal system. Web.
Gil, R. (2011). Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Web.
Helpme.com (2011). Criminal trial process paper. Web.