Chapter 1 Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is the criminal justice system charged with?
Maintaining order, enforcing the law, identifying transgressors, bringing the guilty to justice, and treating criminal behavior.
What is the criminal justice process?
The process by which the offender passes through decision-making points, from the initial arrest to the eventual release.
Criminal justice system is society’s instrument of social control.
What is social control?
The control of an individuals behavior by social (family, schools, churches) and institutional forces.
What is in-presence requirement
A police officer must have witnessed the crime personally to make an arrest in a misdemeanor.
What is nolle prosequi
When a prosecutor decides to drop a case after a formal complaint has been made.
What reasons are there to drop a case, otherwise known as nolle prosequi
Insufficient evidence, police error, office policy, witness refuses to testify
What is a grand jury?
A type of key responsible for investigating alleged crimes, examining evidence, and issuing indictments.
Who is included in the courtroom workgroup?
Prosecutor, defense attorney, judge, and other courtroom personal
What is the crime control perspective?
A model of criminal justice that emphasizes the control of dangerous offenders and the protection of society.
It advocates for harsh punishments as deterrents to crime and supports the death penalty.
What is the rehabilitation perspective?
The view that the primary purpose of criminal justice is helping to care for people who cannot manage themselves.
Crime is an expression of frustration and anger created by social inequality and can be controlled by giving people the means to improve their lifestyle through conventional endeavors.
What is the due process perspective?
Believing the justice system should be dedicated to providing fair and equitable treatment to those accused of crime.
Providing impartial hearings, competent legal counsel, evenhanded treatment, and reasonable sanctions.
Ensuring no discrimination due to race, religion, ethnicity, etc
What is the nonintervention perspective?
Emphasizing the least intrusive treatment possible.
Decarceration, diversion, decriminalization
What is decriminalization
Reducing the penalty for a criminal act but not legalizing it.
What is legalization?
The removal of all criminal penalties from a previously outlawed act.
What is deinstituionalization
The policy of removing as many offenders as possible from secure confinement and treating them in the community
What is pretrial diversion
A program that provides nonpunitive, community-based alternatives to more intrusive forms of punishment such as jail or prison
What is the equal justice perspective
The view that all people should be treated equally before the law. Equality may best be achieved through individual discretion in the justice process.
What are truth-in-sentencing laws
A sentencing scheme requiring that offenders serve at least 85% of their original sentence before being eligible for parole or other forms of early release
What is the restorative justice perspective
A view that advocates peaceful solutions and mediation rather than coercive punishments
What are the three main pillars of the criminal justice system?
Law enforcement agencies, courts, corrections
