The American System of Criminal Justice - Chapter 3

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, processes, systems, and models from Chapter 3 of The American System of Criminal Justice.

Doing Justice

A primary goal of the criminal justice system focused on fairness, which requires holding offenders accountable, protecting individual rights, and treating like offenses alike while recognizing relevant differences.

Federalism

A system of government in which power is divided between a central national government and regional state governments, resulting in separate federal and state criminal justice operations.

System Perspective

An approach to analyzing criminal justice that examines how various independent parts and subsystems interact with and affect one another as a cohesive whole.

Exchange

A mutual transfer of resources among decision makers in the criminal justice system, illustrated by interactions such as plea bargains between prosecutors and defense attorneys.

Plea Bargain

A negotiated agreement between a defense attorney and a prosecutor in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for a reduction in charges or a lighter sentence.

Discretion

The authority of criminal justice officials to make decisions using their own judgment and choice rather than following rigid, predefined rules.

Filtering Process

A screening operation through which criminal justice officials screen out some cases at each stage of the process while advancing others to the next stage.

Adjudication

The judicial process of determining whether a defendant is legally guilty or not guilty of a charged offense.

Dual Court System

A judicial structure consisting of a separate judicial system for each state along with a national federal system, in which laws may be interpreted differently.

Warrant

A court order issued by a judge authorizing police officers to take a specific action, such as physically arresting a suspect or searching a property.

Booking

The official administrative record-keeping process following an arrest, during which police record a suspect's personal details, photograph, and fingerprints at the station.

Indictment

A formal document returned by a grand jury charging a suspect with a specific crime after finding sufficient evidence for a trial.

Information

A formal charging document prepared by a prosecuting attorney and presented directly to a court without requiring a grand jury review.

Arraignment

A formal court hearing in which the accused person is informed of the criminal charges and enters a plea of guilty, not guilty, or no contest.

Criminal Justice Wedding Cake Model

A model illustrating how different criminal cases are processed by the justice system according to their severity, publicity, and offender history across four distinct layers.

Layer 1 Cases

The top layer of the wedding cake model, consisting of celebrated, highly publicized cases that receive full formal jury trials and extensive resource investment.

Layer 2 Cases

The second layer of the wedding cake model, comprising serious felonies committed by experienced offenders that undergo formal preparation but are frequently plea-bargained.

Layer 3 Cases

The third layer of the wedding cake model, consisting of lesser felonies by less serious or first-time offenders that officials aim to dispose of quickly.

Layer 4 Cases

The bottom layer of the wedding cake model, containing misdemeanors that constitute about 90 percent of all criminal cases and are handled rapidly by lower courts.

Vehicle Search and Use of Force Disparities

Statistical evidence showing variations by race in police traffic stops, searches, and threats or uses of force against White, African American, and Hispanic motorists.