Criminal Justice

Criminal justice is a very broad field of study that draws its ideas from disciplines such as management, political science, law criminology, psychology and sociology. Criminal justice is the study of law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. It deals with 1) the organization of the agencies that perform these tasks; 2) the people employed by those agencies; and 3) the impact of these efforts on crime and offenders. These agencies must base their efforts on laws written by independent government bodies. These laws are often constructed on the basis of what is known of the causes of criminal behavior. Legal issues are therefore of critical interest. So also are the scientific insights into why crime occurs in particular patterns and what motivates some people to commit offenses.

For this reason criminology, the study of 1) why crime occurs and 2) the patterns in which it occurs, is critical to understanding criminal justice. Criminology uses scientific logic to link the motives for crime to methods of controlling it. Justice processes are usually based on legal logic but often employ criminological concepts and theories as well. Law stresses the need for fairness and equal treatment while science is more oriented to efficiency. The tension between the logic of science and that of law sometimes results in problems for agency operations.

Criminal justice agencies and designed to help control crime by identifying, processing and supervising criminals. Each agency carries out a particular part of this process, usually within a strictly limited geographical area. From a legal perspective the criminal process is separated into three stages: 1) pre-trial; 2) trial; 3) post-trial. The process of justice in the USA is both united and divided by two central goals. An orderly and safe society is of great importance to most citizens. So also are the unique personal liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. All criminal justice agencies and practitioners must balance these goals of public safety and personal freedom in their daily operations. For this reason the activities of agencies and practitioners are under the control of other organs of government and frequently encounter criticism from the media. The activities of these agencies are of great legal and ethical concern because of their power to affect the lives of individual citizens. Justice practitioners enjoy much freedom in how they interpret the legal requirements of their job roles. This freedom brings with it the need for 1) a strong sense of ethics to guide decision-making; and 2) constant observation by social “watchdogs” such as the press and civic groups.

Although they are very loosely organized, all justice agencies share a basic concern with the law and those who violate it. This common concern also acts to bring both agencies and practitioners together in a variety of relationships.

The term criminal justice system is often used to describe this network of agencies that enforce criminal laws, judge the accused, and handle offenders. The network of agencies that deal with criminals is often defined as a system composed of law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Use of them system indicates that a set of thing, in this case government agencies responsible for dealing with crime, are connected in a rational way so as to form a complex whole. Some suggest that the term “criminal justice system” is misleading because it implies a unity that is not really present in the operation of justice in modern America. This view of American criminal justice asserts that it is fragmented or underorganized – a non-system.

Fragmentation means that each agency operates within a sort of vacuum, ignoring the effects of its actions on other agencies. A proper understanding of the justice process requires explicit recognition of the relationships between the various criminal justice agencies. Whether or not these relationships are well enough organized to be called a system is left to the reader’s personal judgment.

Exercise 3. Answer the questions.

1. Where does criminal justice draw its ideas?

2. What does criminal justice study?

3. Who writes laws for the agencies?

4. Why is criminology the study of why crime occurs and the patterns in which it occurs?

5. What does law stress and what is science oriented to?

6. How do criminal justice agencies help to control crime?

7. What stages is the criminal process separated into?

8. Why are the activities of agencies and practitioners of legal and ethical concern?

9. Where do justice practitioners enjoy much freedom?

10. How are these agencies organized?

11. What does fragmentation mean?

12. What does a proper understanding of the justice require?

13. What does use of the term “system” indicate?

14. Why is the term “criminal justice system” used?

Exercise 4. Find out whether these statements are true, false or you cannot tell from the reading if it is true or false.

1. Criminology uses scientific logic to link the motives for crime to methods of controlling it.

2. Criminal justice agencies control crime by identifying, processing and supervising criminals.

3. Criminology is the study of why crime occurs.

4. Virtually all social agencies are mandated to perform one of two basic types of work.

5. Personal liberties are guaranteed by the Constitution.

6. All justice agencies are loosely organized.

7. All criminal justice agencies are bureaucratic organizations.

8. Laws are constructed on the basis of what is known of the causes of criminal behavior.

9. The central goal of people-changing agencies is to alter the nature of people’s behavior.

10. Justice processes are always based on legal logic only.

11. Criminology is critical to understanding criminal justice.

12. The tension between the logic of science and that of law sometimes results in problems for agency operators.

Exercise 5. Match the words according to the sense.

A

criminal

proper understanding

criminal justice

unique

civic

legal

strictly limited

legal

public

B

system

groups

geographic areas

requirements

safety

justice

of the justice process

personal liberties

logic

Exercise 6. Read and translate the passage. Look at the word “them” (it is underlined) and define the word or phrase in bold text to which it refers.

Many people find the study of English grammar intimidating. There are so many rules to follow. A good reference book, such as REA’s Handbook of English: Grammar. Style and writing can make some sense of them, but there is no substitute for daily reading. Newspaper and magazine articles are a great place to start. Novelist Joseph Conrad, whose first language was Polish, learned English by reading literature some of its finest works.

Exercise 7. Complete the definitions.

1. Criminal justice is the study of …

2. Criminal justice deals with…

3. Criminology is the study of…

4. The criminal process is separated into…

5. The term criminal justice system describes…

6. A system composed of law enforcement is…

7. The term system indicates a set of things that…

8. Fragmentation means that…

9. A proper understanding of the justice process requires…

10. The term “system” indicates…

11. A system composed of law enforcement is the network…

12. Freedom of justice practitioners brings with the need for…

Exercise 8. Enrich your vocabulary: match the words from part A, B and C according to the sense and make up sentences with English word combinations on the basic of criminal justice of Ukraine.

A. Criminal; criminal act (action); criminal addict; criminal assault; criminal behavior; criminal case; criminal code; criminal design; criminal history; criminal intend; criminal investigation; criminal investigation technique; Criminal Investigation Department; criminal justice; criminal receiver.

B. Преступное поведение; уголовное дело; уголовный розыск; уголовное расследование; преступное намерение; уголовное правосудие; скупщик, укрыватель награбленного имущества; преступный, уголовный; преступное деяние; криминалистическая, уголовная техника; уголовный кодекс; преступник, ставший наркоманом; преступное нападение; преступный замысел; история преступления.

C. Кримінальний кодекс; злочинна поведінка; злочинний напад; історія злочинності; кримінальна справа; кримінальний розшук; злочинний намір; кримінальне розслідування; злочини, кримінальний; криміналістична кримінальна техніка; кримінальне правосуддя; злочинний напад; злочинець, який став наркоманом; той, хто скупає награбленє (вкрадене); злочинна дія.

Exercise 9. A. Fill in the gaps using the words and word combinations given below.

Types of Criminal Justice Agencies

Virtually all social agencies are mandated … one or two basic types of work. Some … are mainly concerned with collecting information about particular people, sorting the into categories and assigning them particular statuses that indicate how … are to be treated by society and government agencies. These organizations are known as people-processing …. They are guided more by law than by science because they must treat each person in a fair manner. Other agencies are more concerned with changing the perceptions and … of particular individuals. These agencies are … as people-changing organizations. These agencies are more likely to use … to guide their activities. Most of the work done by criminal justice agencies falls into the first, …, type. The people-changing orientation is critical to the long-term effectiveness of the justice process but … by educational, welfare or mental health agencies. Individual practitioners will also tend to be oriented more toward one or the other of these … of work. The practitioner’s orientation does not always match … of the agency, however. A police officer may strive to help neighborhood children avoid … even though she/he works in a people-processing agency.

Words: is usually performed, crime, to perform, behaviors, these individuals, agencies, law, two types, the legally mandated role, scientific principles, organizations, referred to, people-processing.

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