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CRIMINAL JUSTICE: THE PROCESS The definition of criminal justice is “the series of steps involved in any criminal activity like gathering evidence”. (Legal explanation. 2007) retrieved from http://www. legal-explanations. com/definitions/criminal-justice. htm. In this paper I will illustrate the criminal justice process and describe the steps of each process. The process of the criminal justice is investigation, arrest, booking, bail, arraignment, trial, and outcome. Investigation is when a crime is made and “evidence is gathered to follow up on an investigation”. (Forensic Enterprise 2009. retrieved from http://www. einc. net/csi-desc. htm. An investigator goes to the crime scene and gathers the information. Usually it takes three hours a day for four days or more to find evidence. The purpose of having an investigator is to find evidence so the police can find the suspect. When there are offenders at the scene of the crime they are usual arrested or there is an arrest warrant issued. The officer plays a great role in this because there responsible for reading the suspects rights, taking the suspect to the police station. Once the offender is taken into “custody (arrest) it limits the arrestee’s freedom and there normal activities”. Legal explanations. 1996-2010. retrieved from http://www. legal-explanations. com/definitions/arrest. htm. It depends on how long it takes to get arrest a person however sometimes suspects tries to resist then the office(s) may use there force. While the defendant is getting arrested the officer must read the rights (Miranda v. Arizona) to the defendant. The suspect is taken to the police station which now means that the suspect is in the process of booking. Booking is a procedure that put into the system like, pictures are taken, finger prints, personal information such as address, date of birth….
The purpose of this is to have details of the charges are on record, an administrate record of there arrest is made. Suspects are advised of there rights again and are asked to sign a form, which each right is written. The process isn’t that long up to an hour. It’s been hours since the suspects have been arrested. Next are brought to a judge and they will read them there charges and advise them of there rights or the opportunity for bail. Most defendants are released on recognizance into their own care or the care of another person or post bond.
People who don’t obey this order may have to forfeit the cash or property. If the suspect can’t afford their bail because the crime they committed is very serious or doesn’t have financial resources are taken to jail. If the defendant can’t afford a lawyer then one will be appointed at the first appearance. The next step to this process is arraignment which is the first appearance of the defendant before the court has the authority to conduct a trial. The purpose of an arraignment is to give the defendant a chance to plead guilty, not guilty, or contest. It takes about a day or so for getting a court date.
After the judge makes their decision whether the defendant is guilty or not their still is an arraignment process. The trial process is next if the defendant is pleading guilty or not guilty. Trial is when the court determines if the defendant should be convicted or acquitted. Being convicted means that the defendant is proved or found to the crime that was committed. To be acquitted is to be “found not guilty or not proven to commit the crime”. (Love to know. 1996-2010 retrieved from http://www. yourdictionary. com/acquitted. ) If court decides to that the defendant is guilty then they have a sentence.
The sentence can be any of the following: supervised probation, a fine, prison, or the combination of all these. This step is the final step to the criminal justice process. Once the offender is sentence they are process to prison which they do time for there crime. The offender has to go follow these consequences; as the judge always says, “If you do the crime you do the time! ” References http://www. feinc. net/csi-desc. htm of investigation http://www. legal-explanations. com/definitions/criminal-justice. htm of criminal justice http://www. legal-explanations. com/definitions/arrest. htm of arrest