British Judicial System

A feature common to all the systems of law in the UK is that there is no complete code. The sources of law include legislation (e.g. some 3,000 Acts of Parliament) and unwritten or 'common law'. Major distinctions are between the criminal law (wrongs against the community as a whole) and the civil law (rights, duties and obligations of individuals between themselves).

British court system includes 2 main kinds of courts: civil and criminal. Criminal courts are crown and high courts. The most common type of law court in England is the magistrates’ court, which deals with the less serious offences. There are about 700 magistrates’ court, which are open to the public and the media, and about 30000 magistrates, known as justices of the peace.

More serious criminal cases such as murder, drug trafficking, rape then go to the Crown Court, which has about 90 branches in different towns and cities. The judge in the Crown court acts as a controlling power; he decides questions of law, gives directions on procedure and evidence. The jury is the main element, consisting of 12 jurors. They decided questions of fact.

Civil cases such as divorce or bankruptcy cases are dealt with in County courts. Criminal appeals are heard by higher courts. For example, appeals from magistrates’ courts are heard in the Crown Court, unless they are appeals on points of law. The highest court of appeal in England is the House of Lords. Certain cases may be referred to the European Court of Justice in Luxemburg.

The legal system also includes juvenile courts which deal with offenders under 18 and coroners’ courts which deals with investigate violent, sudden or unnatural deaths. There are administrative tribunals which make quick, cheap and fair decisions with much less formality. Tribunals deal with professional standards, disputes between individuals, and disputes between individuals and government departments (for example, over taxation).

Structure of the American Police. F.B.I.

Policing in modern American society takes a number of different forms. On a national scale, there are several different types of police agencies, each with its own jurisdiction and special functions.

The major types of police agencies can be divided into three major branches of government: federal, state, and local /city and county/

The federal law enforcement system includes such well known agencies as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Park Service, Border Patrol, U.S. Postal Inspector, and many more.

Law enforcement on the slate level includes the state police or highway patrol, drug control agencies, investigative bureau, and others.

At the level of local government the police agencies are the largest law enforcement group These agencies include municipal /or city/ police, county sheriff s offices, constables and village police departments.

Municipal police departments, which are the heart of the entire police system, have their own organizations with several different divisions, each with specific functions. In most departments there are four major divisions: 1. field operations /patrol, investigation, traffic, youth divisions, special operations, etc./; 2. administrative services / community relations, planning, etc./; 3. technical services / communications, records, etc./; and 4. inspectional services /internal affairs, intelligence, etc./.

The most famous Federal Government Agency un the U.S. is the Federal Bureau of Investigation – the F.B.I.

The fingerprint collection of the F.B.I., is now the largest in the world. A crime laboratory was established to make examinations for the F.B.I., and to serve as a scientific clearing – house for evidence and crime problems submitted by police forces throughout the country. This laboratory is the largest and the best equipped in the world.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-19