1. The Criminal Justice System
Goals
Federalism
System perspective
Characteristics
Operations
Flow of decision making
Crime and Justice in a Multicultural Society

2. Goals of the Criminal Justice System
Doing
Justice
Controlling
Crime
Preventing
Crime

3. Doing Justice Accountability for offenses Protect rights
Equality under the law
Discretion

4. Controlling Crime Apprehension Prosecution Punishment
Within the bounds of the law

5. Preventing Crime Police presence Punishment as deterrent
Problems with citizen invoked crime prevention

6. Federalism A system of government in which power is divided
between a central (national)
government and regional
(state) governments.

7. Dual Justice Systems
State systems handle alleged violations of state law.
The federal system handles alleged violations of federal law.

8. Federal State and Local Comparisons I

9. Federal State and Local Comparisons II

10. Criminal Justice as a System

11. System Perspective Interdependent subsystems Exchange relationships
Example: plea bargains

12. Characteristics of the Criminal Justice System
Discretion
Resource Dependence
Sequential Tasks
Filtering

13. Discretion Arrest or let go? Long or short sentence?
Prosecute or dismiss?

14. Resource Dependence
Politicians
Public
Media

15. Sequential Tasks

16. Of 1,000 crimes that are committed Only 5 juveniles and 18 adults are
Criminal Justice
Funnel
Of 1,000
crimes that are
committed
Only
5 juveniles and
18 adults are
incarcerated

18. Operations of Criminal Justice Agencies

19. POLICE Keep the peace Combat crime Prevent crime
Provide social services

20. COURTS Dual Court System US and State Variance among states
Adjudication
Sentencing

21. CORRECTIONS Only about 1/3 incarcerated Community supervision
Federal, State, and local
Privatization trend

22. Flow of Decision Making in the Criminal Justice System
Steps in the Decision Making Process
The Criminal Justice Wedding Cake
Crime Control versus Due Process

24. Criminal Justice Wedding Cake: Layer 1
Celebrated perpetrators
Celebrated victims
Type the media loves
Cases that make Supreme Court precedents 1

25. Criminal Justice Wedding Cake: Layer 2
Serious felonies by experienced offenders
Violent crimes
Property crimes with high $ value
Get full attention of the CJ system 2

26. Criminal Justice Wedding Cake: Layer 3
First time offender less serious offenses which may be felonies
Less serious personal injury or low $ value
Dealt with less seriously, maybe probation 3

27. Criminal Justice Wedding Cake: Layer 4
Most misdemeanors
Handled in assembly-line fashion
Typical penalty is a small fine
Having to go to court may be the “real” punishment 4

28. Competing Models

29. Multicultural Society
Crime and Justice in
Multicultural Society
Racial Disparities in CJ System
Potential Explanations

30. Explanations for Incarceration Rates for Blacks and Whites
Black Incarceration (DV)
Arrest rates
Poverty
Unemployment
Executive Party (R)
Legislature (%R)
Black Politicians %
State Courts (Liberal)
Citizen opinion
Sentencing Guidelines
Prison Capacity Litigation
White Incarceration (DV)
Arrest rates
Poverty
Unemployment
Executive Party (R)
Legislature (%R)
Black Politicians %
State Courts (Liberal)
Citizen opinion
Sentencing Guidelines
Prison Capacity Litigation

31. Incarceration Rates By Race

32. Effect of Partisanship on Black Incarceration Conditioned on Black State Population

33. Quick Quiz to Test Attention
1) ___ is the authority to make decisions by using one’s own judgment and conscience which provides the basis for individualization and informality in the administration of justice.
Discretion
2) ___ is a document charging an individual with a specific crime prepared by a prosecuting attorney and presented to a court at a preliminary hearing.
Information
3) ___ is a characteristic of the criminal justice system that leads criminal justice officials to be responsive to elected officials and legislative bodies.
Resource dependence
4) ___ consists of separate judicial structures for states and for the national government.
Dual court system
5) ___ is a characteristic of the organization of law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies in the United States.
Decentralization