Chapter 1-5: Introduction to the Criminal Justice System - Vocabulary Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Chapters 1–5 of the lecture notes on the criminal justice system.

Supreme Court of the United States

The highest court in the federal system; the court of last resort for federal law and constitutional questions.

State court system

The system of courts at the state level that handle cases under state law, separate from the federal system.

Federal court system

The national judiciary that handles federal law and constitutional issues; top court is the U.S. Supreme Court.

Criminal court

A court that prosecutes crimes and enforces criminal law.

Civil court

A court that resolves private disputes between individuals or organizations, rather than criminal offenses.

Three main components of the criminal justice system

Law enforcement, courts, and corrections.

Corrections

The system that Punishes, rehabilitates, and manages convicted offenders, including prisons, probation, and parole.

Prisons

Correctional facilities for individuals convicted of felonies, typically involving longer-term confinement.

Criminology

The scientific study of why individuals engage in criminal activity.

Forensic psychology

The application of psychology to legal issues, including assessment and treatment of individuals in the criminal justice system.

Forensic science

The use of scientific methods to analyze physical evidence for legal cases; distinct from TV portrayals and crime scene investigations.

Differential Association Theory

A sociological theory that deviant behavior is learned through interactions with others.

Trial by media

The phenomenon of media outlets reaching or shaping judgments about a case before the actual court verdict.

CSI effect

Public perception that evidence must be scientifically dramatic and infallible due to crime shows, affecting juror expectations.

Forensic evidence

Physical evidence collected and analyzed to prove facts in a legal case; real-world evidence is often less theatrical than TV shows imply.

Index crimes

Major crime categories used in statistics (often including violent and property crimes); many index crimes remain unsolved.

Wedding cake model

A metaphor describing the criminal justice system with three layers: high-profile cases (top), typical cases (middle), and the large base of ordinary cases (bottom).

Plea bargaining

A process where a defendant pleads guilty in exchange for a reduced punishment to avoid going to trial.

Assembly line justice

A critique of how cases are processed quickly and uniformly, with less individualized consideration.

Law and order effect

The tendency to overestimate how many cases go to trial due to media representation, while in reality trials are fairly rare.

Baby boomer generation (16–24 age cohort)

In U.S. history, the 16–24 age group has been used to gauge crime trends; the seniority of baby boomers affected crime rates when they were young.

Criminal profiling (myth) vs real role of forensic psychology

The popular idea of a detective profiler is largely a TV myth; real work involves forensic psychology and other specialized roles within the criminal justice system.