Week 1- Criminal Justice System
Brandy King
CJA/204
July 29, 2013
Maria Sagues
Week 1- Criminal Justice System
Crime can be defined as any action, conduct, or behavior that is in defiance of the criminal laws set forth by federal, state, or local jurisdictions, with no legal justification.
There are two commonly used models of how society determines which acts and behaviors are criminal. The first model is the Consensus Model. In this model, each component of the criminal justice system is moving towards a common goal. That goal is to make sure that cases and people move through the system in a smooth and orderly fashion, as all components of the system are working and cooperating in accordance of each other.
The second model that is used is the Conflict Model. With this model, the interests of the different agencies have a tendency to make the officers of those agencies self-serving. The demands for goal achievement, advancement, pay increases, and general accountability splinter the hard work of the system as a whole. The goals of the agencies frequently clash.
There are four choice theories that are used in the criminal justice system. These are theories used to determine what causes people to commit crime. The first theory is Rational Cause. This theory states that a person’s motivation to commit a crime is a deliberate, focused choice with intent of personal gain in the form of self-enhancing enticements such as money, power, or status.
The second theory is Sociological Positivism. This theory is propelled by a study of social configurations (family, peer groups, economic status, education level, and subculture). This theory focuses on how an offender adapts to his surroundings, consequently becoming a product of his/her environment. This idea suggests that criminality is unavoidable under conditions such as community disorder, stigmatization, stress and anxiety including poverty, and a failure in family and moral values.
The third theory of choice is Biological Positivism. This theory supposes that some people are just born to be criminals. It is the belief that offenders are prone to commit crime as an effect of a biological weakness, such as vitamin deficiencies, hormonal unevenness, poor diet, and brain functions.
And finally, the fourth choice theory is Psychological Positivism. This theory proposes that the cause of law-breaking misconduct is rooted in the wrongdoer’s mental illness or personality disorders.
There are three main components of the criminal justice system: Police, Courts, and Corrections. All three components have several jobs within the system. The police enforce the law, investigate crimes, capture lawbreakers, preserve public order, ensure civil welfare, provide emergency and community services, and guard the rights, liberties, and freedoms of individuals. The second component is corrections. It is their duty to carry out sentences, provide safe and humane custody of offenders, protect the community, rehabilitate, reform, and reintegrate convicted offenders back into the community. The third and final component of the criminal justice system is the courts.