Criminal Justice System - Its Roles and Procedures

The system in which, the collection of local, state, public or private agencies that are involved in the process of investigating crime, gathering relevant evidence, apprehending criminals, pressing charges, conducting trials and passing applicable sentences to the criminals, while working under certain modus operandi, is known as the criminal justice system.

This system exists because of the crimes committed by people. Each nation, in order to preserve regularity in the society, maintains certain policies or laws. The purpose of the criminal justice system is to bring justice to the society, when these laws are desecrated by an individual. This is done by determining the punishment for these individuals. Let us know a bit more about the roles of this system.

The roles of the system vary from one nation to another. But still a generalization of these roles can be done by the following:

• Investigation: When an individual is accused of violation of law or a crime, it is the duty of the criminal justice system to see that proper investigation takes place.

• Prosecution: The system also plays the role of carrying out a proper judicial proceeding on the individual who has been alleged of a crime.

• Punishment: If an alleged person is proved to be guilty, the system gives the criminal the punishment deserved. The punishment can be in many forms. For example, the punishment can be probation, fine, penalty etc.

• Time Frame: The criminal justice system has to maintain a time frame that decides the maximum time period within which a complaint or a case regarding any crime can be registered. This timeframe does not exist for murders and kidnappings.

As we looked into the roles of the system, let us now take a glance on the process of the criminal justice system.

• Collection of evidence and issuing of warrant.

• Trials in front of the judiciary or court.

• Proper and impartial adjudication and related sentence.

• Execution of the given sentence.

Just like any other system in the world, the criminal justice system also has its fair share of problems. The system has never been reformed and has been the same since quite a long time which has resulted in overall sloppy management. Even if the system is improved, one of the main drawbacks that will still exist in the justice system is corruption and political pressure.

Source by Simon Waker Haughtone