Description of Criminal Justice
The term criminal justice can refer to a variety of things. It may refer to the course of collegiate study or it could refer to the components of the law that relate to criminal justice. It can also be used to identify the areas of theory that relate to this much broader field. Depending on the context of the term all of these are possible, and knowing the specific parts that help to describe criminal justice will lead to a deeper understanding of this subject.
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Academia
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Criminal justice is an academic field of study that educates the student on the function of law enforcement, the judicial system, crime and punishment, according to the University of Nevada, Reno Department of Criminal Justice.
Students learn how the justice system operates in the United States and are exposed to the different roles played by various members of the criminal justice professions. Students majoring in this field will examine the many perspectives of the system and learn to evaluate and question its function and effectiveness and possibly draw conclusions about how it can be improved.
Law Enforcement
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Law enforcement is a key component of criminal justice. It refers to the police and investigative activities of law enforcement officers and the procedures involved in the process of enforcing laws.
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The Courts
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The courts and judicial system are another part of the criminal justice system that deals with the role of attorneys, prosecutors and judges among other key players in the courtroom setting. This portion of criminal justice is concerned with the formal charges pressed against alleged criminals, how they are tried in a court of law and the procedural aspects of various types of criminal cases.
The judicial system also involves the use of witness testimony, courtroom examination, plea bargains, jury selection and deliberation and many other complex maneuvers used in court that ultimately result in conviction or acquittal.
Corrections
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Corrections is the punishment portion of criminal justice. When criminals are convicted of a crime, they serve jail time or other punishment dealt out by the jury or judge. Criminals are given a sentence in hopes that the consequences of their actions will rehabilitate them and discourage the convict from committing future acts outside of the law. In cases of particularly serious crimes, those in the corrections system may be incarcerated for life or even put to death.
Borrowed Theory
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Criminal justice involves a combination of theories borrowed from other disciplines that come together to help make a complete picture and promote understanding of crime and punishment.
Criminal justice includes sociology and psychology in relation to the causes of criminal activity. It also includes political science, law and history that help define the legal process, according to the University of Nevada, Reno Department of Criminal Justice.
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References
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