Three Major Components in the Criminal Justice System

Three Major Components in the Criminal Justice System

Raven Boyd
Module 1 Drop box Assignment

“Discuss the function and structure of the three major components of the criminal justice system (law enforcement, courts and corrections).”

There are four general goals of the criminal justice system: to control, to prevent crime, to provide and maintain justice, and to support the victims. The system consisting of three key components- Law enforcement, Courts, and Corrections work together to achieve the main goal of providing justice to society. Law enforcement can be seen in three different levels such as Local, State, and Federal Law Enforcements. The United States has two separate judicial systems, State and Federal courts. The final step of the criminal justice system is Corrections which is after the courts have convicted and sentenced the offender leaving him or her under the control of the federal system.
Local Law Enforcement agencies are normally split between counties and municipalities. Their primary purpose is to uphold the laws of the jurisdiction, provide patrol, and investigate local crimes. Local agencies are the most common department to be hired onto. The majority of local agencies are set in what’s considered a “small town” consisting of fewer than 10 officers, however agencies in a larger city can have more than thousands on the force at a time. These officers focus mainly on doing the “nuts and bolts” of the job such as apprehending criminals and on occasion participating in trial proceedings. They are also in charge of crowd and traffic control.
State Law Enforcement agencies are also broken up into separate parts “state police” and “highway patrols”. State police often perform police duties to include highway patrol and statewide investigations. Some states have only highway patrol with investigative functions covered by a separate entity such as a state bureau of investigation. State police assist local police with investigations and emergencies that extend beyond the resources and...

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