Chapter 6: The Criminal Justice System

During the late 1990's and early 2000's, New York and other major cities experienced a remarkable drop in the crime rate. Agencies of Criminal Justice are law Enforcements which exist at all levels of government; federal, state, and local, Courts that are determined through interpretation of the law in relation to the circumstances of individual cases, & corrections exist at all three levels of government; local, state, and federal. Procedural Law is very important part of the criminal justice process because it specifies how people accused of crimes will be treated. As for the Bill of Rights, the first ten Amendments to the Constitution details many of the requirements for adjudication, such as arrests, warrants, searches, trials, lawyers, punishment, and other important aspects of criminal procedure. Fourth Amendment is the constitution that prohibits searchers without probable cause which probable cause is a reasonable link between a specific person and a particular crime. Warrant is a sworn statement by police that attests to the existence of probable cause in a given case. Arrest involves taking a suspected law violator into custody for the purpose of prosecution. Booking is a procedure in which an official record of the arrest is made which can lead to summon which is a written notice to appear in court. Plea is a statement of innocence or guilt.