Criminal Justice Chapters 1-3

Who Enforces the Law

Law enforcement agencies

who convicts people of their crimes

courts

what area of criminal justice punishes people for their crimes

corrections

What is the supreme law of the land

the constitution

Federalism

governmental powers are shared by national government and the states

What is the CJ system composed of

organizations and individuals working together, but with different goals

discretion

the authority to make choices or decisions based on one's judgment within the criminal justice system.

What are the three levels of law enforcement

federal, state, and local enforcement

What does federal law enforcement do

operates throughout the united states that enables police agencies to enforce federal laws and regulations, such as the FBI (federal bureau of investigation), DEA (drug enforcement administration), and ATF (alcohol, tobacco, and firearms). also includes department of homeland security and secret service

what does the state law enforcement do

it has two different types of enforcement which is the state police and highway patrols. state police includes fire marshals, fish, game, and watercraft wardens, while highway patrols is concerned with enforcing highway and freeway laws

what does the local law enforcement do

the “nuts and bolts” of law enforcement, split between counties and municipalities (cities/towns) they deal with all local crimes and are charged with keeping the peace

Criminal cases

offenses against society as a whole (ex missouri vs. smith)

Civil cases

private relations (suing) between members of a community (ex: smith vs. smith)

dual court system

the us has two independent judicial court systems, which is at the federal level and state level

How many judicial systems does the US have

52

Jail

the holding place for criminals at the local level before they are found guilty of their crime

prison

criminals convicted of serious crimes are held here for longer sentences at the state and federal level

probation

the most common correctional treatment that allows the offender to return to the community under the supervision of a probation officer (serving community)

community based corrections

residential centers, halfway houses, and work-release centers that hold criminals which is an alternate from an offender going to jail or prison

parole

an inmate is allowed to serve the rest of their sentence of corrections in the community by serving