vocab terms chapter 1

Question 1

criminal justice system

Answer 1

the aggregate of all the operational, tehcnical and administrative support agencies that define and/or perform criminal justice function. the system contains 3 key components- the courts, the police, and corrections

Question 2

crime

Answer 2

an act committed or omitted in violation of a law that prohibits it, and for which there is a prescribed punishment for. An alternate definition for a crime is whatever society says it is

Question 3

probable cause

Answer 3

evidence, facts, or circumstances from a trustworthy source that would lead a prudent and cautious person to beleive that a crime is being, has been, or is about to be committed

Question 4

exclusionary rule

Answer 4

any evidence wrongfull seized by the police(government) is considered inadmissable in a court of law

4th amendment

Question 5

grand jury

Answer 5

a group of citizens chosen to hear charges against persons and determine if there is sufficient enough evidence to bring persons to trial

Question 6

Miranda Warning

Answer 6

suspects under arrest must be advised they don’t have to answer questions, have the right to a lawyer if necessary, at no expense to themselves.

Miranda v. Arizona

Question 7

what are the 15 steps of the cj process?

Answer 7

initial contact, investigation, arrest, custody, charging, preliminary/grand jury hearing, arraignment, bail/detention, plea bargaining, trial/adjudication, sentencing/disposition, appeal/post conviction, release, post-release

Question 8

CJ assembly line

Answer 8

prearrest investigation, arrest, post arrest investigation, trial/plea prepation, conviction, disposition

Question 9

operational branch of criminal justice

Answer 9

police, fbi, secret service, law enforcement, any “operations” in the field

Question 10

technical branch of cj

Answer 10

computers, technology, soemtiems forensics

Question 11

administrative branch of cj

Answer 11

paperwork, reports, tests, interviews

Question 12

what branch of government does law enforcement fall under?

Answer 12

executive

Question 13

Safe Streets and Crime Control Act(1968)

Answer 13

federal funds allocated for local +state crime efforts, funded national insttitute of law enforcement and criminal justice (renamed nat institute of justice in ‘79)

Question 14

evidence based justice

Answer 14

using scientific methord used to determine whether cj programs actually reduce crime rates and offender activism, 5 steps: target audience, randomized experience, intervening factors, measurement of success, cost effectiveness

Question 15

target audience

Answer 15

cj programs reach the right people

Question 16

intervening factors

Answer 16

factors that enhance/impede program success

Question 17

cost effectivenees

Answer 17

effectiveness must be balanced with costs

Question 18

social control

Answer 18

society’s ability to control individual behavior to serve best interests and welfare of society as a whole

Question 19

what must prevail in the pursuit of justice?

Answer 19

the truth

Question 20

how many agencies at the state and local level

Answer 20

18,000

Question 21

job of police officials

Answer 21

enforce written laws and ordinances of their jusridiction, and respond as needed

Question 22

cj process

Answer 22

process of taking offender through a series of decision points, starting with arrest and ending with re-entry to society, influenced by legal and external factors

Question 23

inital contact

Answer 23

1st point of contact in cj system: police officers see suspicious behavior, contact by victim, informer reveals criminal activity, respond to a request, a confessions, or could be initiated by civilians with no crime involvement

Question 24

investigation

Answer 24

gather enough evidence to identify the suspect and suppot legal arrest

Question 25

arrest

Answer 25

conditions for legality, relies on probable cause(sufficient evidnece), deprives individual of rights, in presence requirement

Question 26

in presence requirement

Answer 26

cannot arrest for misdemeanor unless officer sees crime occur

Question 27

custody

Answer 27

after arrest, police search for evidence, interrogate/encourage confession

Question 28

charging

Answer 28

a criminal is charged with a crime, case must contain sufficient evidence and be turned over to the prosecutor's office

Question 29

preliminary hearing/ grand jury

Answer 29

citizens chosen to hear charges against a person accused of crime and determine if there is sufficient evidence to bring to trial

Question 30

true bill of indictment

Answer 30

vote by grand jury to indict accused suspect

Question 31

preliminary hearing= prosecution files a chargind document befre a lower court trial and conducts an open hearing on merits of the case

Question 32

bail/detention

Answer 32

bond levied to ensure resturn of a criminal defendant fo trial, and defendant remains in community prior to trial | recognizance- "promise to the court"

Question 33

due process

Answer 33

rights, priveleges andgurauntees pursuant to state and federal constitutions that are guarunteed

Question 34

courtroom work group

Answer 34

term used to imply that all parties in justice process work in cooperative effort to settle cases efficiently instead of adversarial procedure

Question 35

wedding cake model of justice

Answer 35

level i: celebrated cases (famous/national headlined, heinous), level ii: serious felonies, rapes, robberies, burglaries, serious crimes by experienced offenders, level iii: some felonies, less serious offenses by first time offenders, level iv: misdemeanors and disorderly conduct