CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

Criminal Justice System

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Criminal Justice System

Introduction

Criminal Justice system refers to the process which starts with the investigation of any crime and ends when the convicted person completes the sentence. Decision making and rules are the focal point of criminal justice system. The Criminal Justice System, also referred as CJS is a confounding process for those who are not aware about the legal system; in fact it is considered to be a complex process. In simple words, criminal justice system can be defined as the process from arrest to sentence of an individual. Police, courts and the correctional facility are all vital in CJS (Gould, pp. 45). All the stated institutions make endeavors to ensure that crimes are contained and justice is delivered timely with precisely.

Discussion and Analysis

Most criminal actions begin when a person is taken into police custody. An arrest is lawful when the police officer has probable cause to believe that the person being arrested has committed a particular offense (Gould, pp. 41). Presently, one of the major challenges of the CJS is to ensure the balance of rights of the suspect against the larger interest of the society.

Majority of the population of United States is familiar with the duties of police while detention; i.e. to inform the detainee about his or her rights. This obligation of the police is also known as Miranda warning, in which suspects are informed about their rights granted to them through the constitution of the United States. Every police officer uses the same warnings in which suspects are told to remain silent and are informed that they are not obliged by the law to answer the questions of the police officer. However, with the prospect of utilization of the words during the arrest against the person, Police officers are also obliged to inform that any word or testimony can be used against them in court (Ruschmann, 2007, n.p). Moreover, every suspect, in accordance with United States constitution is allowed to consult an attorney first before making any statements, and in case the suspect cannot afford an attorney, the court and the law enforcement agencies are responsible for providing it with one. The phenomenon of attorney appointed by court is relatively new; however, this concept had been implemented in some parts of the States in early 19th century. After some time, most of the states started to adopt this as well. ...