Notes

Criminal Justice Notes:
Criminology: The study of crime; What is it? Who decides what it is? Why do people start/desist crime?
Criminal Justice: The study of the system that delivers justice in a particular region?
System: A system is a complex whole made up of interdependent parts whose actions are directed towards goals and are influenced by the environment in which they function.
3 main components: Law enforcement, Courts, Corrections
Law enforcement is responsible for: order maintenance, crime fighting/ prevention, service.
Order maintenance: Keeping the peace.
Crime fighting: Going after bad guys.
Service: Directing traffic at the events. Help getting dog out of cars.
Courts are responsible for adjudication: determining whether or not a defendant is guilty or not guilty.
Dual court system: Federal/State systems.
Most crime is prosecuted and dealt with at the state level.
Federal law supersedes state laws.
Characteristics of the American CJS
Discretion: Officials freedom to act freely according to their own judgment. ETC: How cops handle different situations. Prosecutors have the most discretion in the CJS. Discretion implements humanness into the system: mistakes, corruption.
Arguments for discretion: "If discretion was not in the system, the CJS wouldn't be able to function. They couldn't function." "In some cases, discretion will better allow us to seek justice."
Resource Dependence: All the officials and agencies in the CJS depend on each other and on funding.
Sequential Tasks: There are certain steps that describes how a case is supposed to flow.
Filtering: In every one of these steps, people are filtered out of the equation.
1000 crimes
500 Reports
100 Arrests
50 Charged
45 Guilty Pleas
3 Guilty by Trial
2 Acquittal
32 Community Corrections
16 Prison
Sequential Tasks:
1* Report or witness crime
2* Investigation -most time spent writing report/interviewing
3* Arrest or not? -"Free to leave" rule
4* Booking- Mug shots and fingerprinting
5* Charging- point when case leaves law enforcement- Decision of District Attorney. - Seriousness of Crime- Chance of Winning- Politics- Willingness of Defendant to Testify
3 types of encounters with police
1* Mere encounter- Cop bump in someone- don't have the right to talk
2* Investigation Detention- Crime has been committed- they have the right to stop you and detain. Can only keep them for a limited amount of time.
3* Arrest- when you no longer feel like you can leave. 
If you don't want to talk t an officer- ask if you are free to leave, and if you are told no- SHUT THE FUCK UP!