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CJUS 500

Presentation: Overview – Criminal Justice Transcript

Slide 1

1. This course introduces you to the foundations of criminal justice.

1. You will learn the ins and outs of the system and examine more specifically, the emerging issues in criminal justice.

1. The criminal justice system is made up of police, courts, and corrections.

1. It is with hope that through your observations of what is happening in the world, you will be able appreciate how crime is investigated and understand some of the intricacies of how criminal justice practitioners move towards implementing strategies to prevent crime.

1. The criminal justice system operates at both the local, state, and federal levels.

1. Laws are defined by what the majority deems as wrongful behavior: there are crimes that are inherently and morally wrong (male in se).

1. There are also some crimes that are wrong under the purview of the current laws that are in place (mala prohibita): these laws are governed by specific public opinion in that moment in time.

1. How the criminal justice system operates has been debated since its inception.

1. The crime control and due process models are two models that investigate how the criminal justice system should work.

1. The crime control model emphasizes that there is a critical need to punish offenders immediately and this is the most pressing objective.

1. The due process model however, focuses on individual rights at all phases of the justice process.

1. The emphasis here is maintaining constitutional and procedural protections under the law.

1. It is critical to understand that laws reflect the acceptance and norms of the current society.

1. We must first recognize that some societies may deem one behavior as acceptable and legal, while another society may deem the exact same behavior as deviant, reprehensible, and in some cases, illegal.

1. The criminal justice system is made up of many practitioner-actors that interact with both victims and offenders in different ways.

1. Ultimately however, all parts of the criminal justice system have the responsibility of protecting society and upholding justice.

Slide 2

1. There are tens of thousands of agencies that make up the criminal justice system.

1. When crime is reported to the police, the criminal justice system process begins.

1. It is the role and responsibility of the police to resolve community problems and respond to crime.

1. Police officers interact with suspects, victims, and witnesses.

1. When a crime is reported to law enforcement, an offender may or may not begin their entry into the system. It is at the discretion of the law-enforcement officer.

1. After an offender enters into the criminal justice system, inevitably, they will reach the court phase.

1. The prosecutor is responsible for attaching specific charges to a case. Once charges have been filed, the defendant will be summoned in front of a judge for an initial appearance.

1. The courts will determine whether there is enough probable cause to justify the actions of the courts. Many cases are subsequently plea bargained.

1. The American justice system has a two-court system which operate at both state and federal levels.

1. Depending upon their jurisdiction, these courts here federal, state, criminal, and civil cases.

1. Ultimately, the most crucial role of the courts is to do justice.

1. The role of corrections is to punish offenders and meet specific goals. Goals of corrections include retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation.

1. Other correctional objectives include making certain that offenders are able to successfully reintegrate into society after serving prison sentences and to see to it that victims are receiving appropriate and adequate restitution for their victimizations.

1. Finally, the criminal justice system is responsible for providing a number of resources to support victims.

Slide 3

1. As a practitioner in criminal justice, you will be challenged to make ethical decisions at every turn.

1. It is critical that as a practitioner, you grasp your purpose in protecting society, upholding justice, and maintaining social responsibility.

1. There are many misconceptions about the criminal justice system and as a representative of the field, you will be responsible for dispelling those myths.

1. Dispelling myths has the ability to conserve billions of dollars in resources!

1. Focusing on the “realities”, permits us to draw our attention and allocate resources to issues that truly matter.

1. We can then help revolutionize the system in a positive and more efficient way.

1. Thinking about how and why we entered the field of criminal justice, can influence how we deal with contemporary global challenges like cybercrime and terrorism.

1. Taking into consideration our own experiences with the criminal justice system, will also influence how we perform as practitioners in the field.

1. I encourage you to reflect on your own experiences with the American criminal justice system.

1. What did you find pleasant about the process and your experience?

1. What about the systems’ process, if anything, did you find to be negative, ineffective, or particular challenging?

1. Lastly, as a practitioner, how would YOU influence change?

Slide 4

1. The Bible underlines that justice is required at all levels of government.

1. In other words, it is not only judges that are responsible for upholding Justice.

1. Proverbs 21 :3 ESV says “to do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord then sacrifice”.

1. And so this means that as practitioners in this field, we must be willing to first love all individuals, in the way that we love God.

1. In John 4:19 ESV Scripture reads “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen”.

1. This is very powerful! This shifts attention to how the American criminal justice system must embrace social responsibility in loving one another as we love God.

1. Furthermore, America was based upon covenantal principles. Covenant affirms both the individual and the group without overemphasizing one over the other.

1. In Scripture, the operative word for covenant is the Hebrew term hesed which means loving fulfillment of covenant obligation: this is a unique emphasis.

1. In today's more licentious society there is a fallacious assumption that if something is duty driven it must not be based upon true love because true love after all, is based upon emotion, passion, and authenticity.

1. Scripture would reject this notion and counter that if love is true and serious, it comports itself with the carrying out of duty and routines, and not in a rote, sterile way, but in a loving way.

1. It emphasizes the need to go the extra mile and beyond the letter law, to care for others.

1. This is a powerful reverberation about how all participants in the criminal justice process should care one another.

Reference

Masters, R.E., Way, L.B., Gerstenfeld, P. B., Muscat, B.T., Hopper, M., Dusch, J, P., Pincu., L.,

& Skrapec, C. A. (2013). CJ realities and challenges (2nd. ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.