Criminal Justice Unit 1 Review

Draco’s Code of Law

Written legal statutes of Athens, Greece, created around 600 BCE, which replaced oral customs with severe written statutes enforced by courts.

Napoleonic Code

French civil legal framework established in 1804 that consolidated uniform national civil laws and eliminated feudal privileges.

English Common Law

Body of uncodified legal precedent developed through judicial rulings in England rather than statutory royal edicts.

Magna Carta

Charter granted by King John of England in 1215 that established legal limits on royal authority and protected fundamental liberties.

Corporal Punishment

Deliberate infliction of physical pain or bodily injury as an authorized judicial penalty for an offense.

Henry Fielding

English magistrate and playwright who fought for criminal justice reform and founded the Bow Street Runners in 1749.

Arthashastra

Ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise dating to around 200 BCE outlining statecraft, economic policy, legal procedures, and court rules.

Professional Era

Phase of American policing spanning the 1920s to the 1970s that prioritized technological modernization, civil service reform, and institutional autonomy.

Political Era

Phase of American policing from the 1840s to the 1920s characterized by close ties between municipal police forces and local political machines.

Community Era

Model of policing emerging in the 1970s focused on decentralization, proactive crime prevention, and citizen partnerships.

Shire-reeve

Medieval English royal official appointed to maintain order, collect taxes, and administer justice within a county (the forerunner of the sheriff).

Justinian Code

Sixth-century compilation of Roman legal jurisprudence ordered by the Byzantine emperor that reorganized imperial law (Corpus Juris Civilis).

Constable

Peace officer in medieval England originally charged with keeping the armaments and horses of a castle or manor before becoming a parish-level law keeper.

Book of Leviticus

Third book of the Old Testament detailing moral, ritual, and legal statutes for the ancient Israelites.

August Vollmer

Twentieth-century reformer known as the father of modern law enforcement who introduced academic training, motorized patrols, and forensics to police administration.

Sir Robert Peel

English statesman and prime minister who established the London Metropolitan Police at Scotland Yard in 1829.

Five Punishments

Traditional Chinese penal sanctions that included tattooing, facial mutilation, foot amputation, castration, and capital punishment.

Texas Rangers

Statewide law enforcement agency founded in 1835 by Stephen F. Austin to investigate major crimes and protect the frontier.

Code of Hammurabi

Ancient Babylonian legal compilation written on a stone stele around 1754 BCE establishing uniform public laws and penalties.

Watch and Ward

British system of protective municipal policing maintaining organized civilian surveillance during the day and night.

Lex talionis

Legal doctrine of reciprocal justice mandating that a punishment directly mirror the injury inflicted ('an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth').

English Bill of Rights

Statutory act passed in 1689 by Parliament that limited royal prerogative and established fundamental civil and procedural protections.

Sharia Law

Islamic religious legal framework derived from the Qur’an and Hadith regulating public conduct and private affairs.

Code of Ur-Nammu

Earliest known surviving written legal code, formulated in Sumer around 2100 BCE, which established financial fines alongside physical penalties.

American Bill of Rights

First ten amendments to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1791, safeguarding core civil liberties and procedural protections.

Criminal Justice System

System of government agencies and institutions responsible for enforcing laws, determining guilt, and administering justice.

Three Main Components of the Criminal Justice System

Law enforcement, courts, and corrections.

Fourth Amendment

Constitutional protection shielding individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.

Fifth Amendment

Constitutional protection shielding individuals from self-incrimination and guaranteeing due process of law.

Tenth Amendment

Constitutional provision establishing that powers not delegated to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states or the people.

Key Courtroom Participants

Judge, jury, prosecutor, defense attorney, defendant, and victim.

The criminal justice system

A system of government agencies and institutions responsible for enforcing laws, determining whether laws have been broken, and punishing or rehabilitating offenders.