The Purpose of the Criminal Justice System
i. Interlocking network of law enforcement, courts and correctional institutions
A. Maintaining Justice
1. Main goal is to provide justice to all members of society
2. All individuals are equal before the law ( fairness
B. Protecting Society
1. Four goals of the modern criminal justice system
a. To protect society from potential future crimes of the most dangerous or “risky” offenders.
b. To determine when an offense has been committed and provide the appropriate punishment for that offense.
c. To rehabilitate those offenders who have been punished so that it is safe to return them to the community.
d. To support crime victims and, to the extent possible, return them to their pre-crime status.
| Media Tool
“Is there racial bias in the criminal justice system?” · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzXjgZe5sZg · A short clip about racial bias in the criminal justice system. · Discussion: Discuss what fairness means and how race and discrimination undermine fairness. Why are some people saying that the criminal justice system serves to protect the powerful rather than everyone in society? |
III. The Structure of the Criminal Justice System
Learning Objective 3: Outline the three levels of law enforcement.
Learning Objective 4: List the essential elements of the corrections system.
Learning Objective 5: Explain the difference between the formal and informal criminal justice processes.
i. Interlocking network of law enforcement, courts and correctional institutions
A. Maintaining Justice
1. Main goal is to provide justice to all members of society
2. All individuals are equal before the law ( fairness
B. Protecting Society
1. Four goals of the modern criminal justice system
a. To protect society from potential future crimes of the most dangerous or “risky” offenders.
b. To determine when an offense has been committed and provide the appropriate punishment for that offense.
c. To rehabilitate those offenders who have been punished so that it is safe to return them to the community.
d. To support crime victims and, to the extent possible, return them to their pre-crime status.
| Media Tool
“Is there racial bias in the criminal justice system?” · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzXjgZe5sZg · A short clip about racial bias in the criminal justice system. · Discussion: Discuss what fairness means and how race and discrimination undermine fairness. Why are some people saying that the criminal justice system serves to protect the powerful rather than everyone in society? |
III. The Structure of the Criminal Justice System
Learning Objective 3: Outline the three levels of law enforcement.
Learning Objective 4: List the essential elements of the corrections system.
Learning Objective 5: Explain the difference between the formal and informal criminal justice processes.