Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system is a complex system with many components all of which operate with a process that allows for equitability for all citizens. It is a system that allows for crime reporting procedures and gives everyone the opportunity to seek justice through a proven, honest system rather than vigilantly justice. It is not a perfect system, but it does work more often than not. It is a system with numerous checks and balances at varying levels of government. It is formulated on the principles and beliefs of the founders of this country and has endured the test of time.To ensure a flexible and fair system that will grow with an ever changing country, the system modifies as needed through constitutional amendments Components of the Criminal Justice System Within our modern and sophisticated government are intricate components of the criminal justice system. Within this system, at every level is a specific and deliberate process governed by law established by our forefathers. There are elements within this system incorporating major crime reporting procedures.There are varying criteria for crime reporting; some are better than others, but all reporting procedures are designed to bring criminals to justice The criminal justice system essentially has three main components consisting of law enforcement, the court system, and the correctional system. Law enforcement consists of police at many varying tiers of a complex system. Some of these police are your local or county police, sheriffs, state and federal law enforcement officers. The court system is a system that supports law enforcement, but it is designed to assist the defendant’s or alleged criminals also.This system has to be impartial in order to maintain its credibility on both sides of the law with prosecutors and defendants both represented equally within the system and its laws. The corrections system is designed to punish criminals and keep dangerous people separate from the rest of socie ty. It is a system with a life cycle which follows a convicted criminal from verdict to release from an institution. The criminal justice process, which takes place within the system, is very methodical and organized.According to Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt (2013), â€Å"Criminal justice is a process, involving a series of steps beginning with a criminal investigation and ending with the release of a convicted offender from correctional supervision. Rules and decision making are at the center of this process†. Most importantly in this process are the rules and decisions which are governed through documents as old as our county. These documents provide the guidelines which prosecutors and defendants use and governs law enforcement, court system and the penal systems at all levels.