Dissecting the Criminal Justice Process

Competencies Addressed in This Assignment

• Competency 3: Illustrate the processing of criminal court cases.
• Competency 5: Communicate effectively in writing.

Introduction

The criminal justice process can vary slightly from one state to another as well as from the adult system to the juvenile system but the basic process remains the same, and individual rights under the constitution remain the same in all states at the adult level. For example, many states refer to the first appearance as arraignment, while others use terms such as initial appearance.

No matter how they describe it, they all prohibit law enforcement agencies from confining suspects indefinitely, without judicial oversight. The time within which the initial appearance must take place varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction—and is not always clear. Some state laws specify the time frame, while others nebulously ban “‘unnecessary delay’ after arrest” (NOLO Law for All, n.d.). The end result of this part of the process is the same regardless of what term is applied to it.

Review the Criminal Justice System Overview media before getting started on this assignment.

Instructions

For this assignment, create a hypothetical scenario involving the commission of a felony, or use a crime from the news as your starting point. Build out the details of the crime, the crime scene, the investigation, the arrest, the pretrial process, the trial process, and sentencing. Identify all stages and the major professionals involved in all stages. Conclude by explaining why this level of knowledge about a crime and progression through the criminal justice system is important for a criminal justice practitioner.

In a 3–4-page paper:

• Identify the crime that occurred.
• Explain the circumstances of the crime.
• Describe the investigative process.
• Describe the circumstances of the arrest.
• Describe the process beginning with arraignment through sentencing.

Additional Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• Written communication: Must be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• Resources and citations: Format according to current APA style and formatting guidelines.
• Length of paper: 3–4 typed, double-spaced pages, not including the title page or the references page.
• References: A minimum of three references. (If you create a hypothetical case, references will not be necessary.)
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.