Police, Courts, and Corrections, Essay Example

The criminal justice system is comprised of three categories: police, courts, and corrections. In my opinion, the most important of these three is the police. When a response to a crime occurs (as not all crimes are reported to cops) the police show up and deduce the cause, culprit, and motive of the crime. This is the stage of discovery; without it, there is no criminal, or no crime. This is called fieldwork. Fieldwork is the crux of the criminal justice system. In fieldwork police officers find not only the victim, and the perp, but also the crime weapon and witnesses. It is through police fieldwork that evidence is presented in court (another element of the criminal justice system) and supports the police claims to who committed the crime, why, and with what weapon. Witnesses (apprehended through fieldwork) are also called up to the stand to corroborate what the police believe to be true due to their investigation. Police investigation is the element that allows for the rest of the justice system to function. It allows the prosecuting attorney to do their job, the judge to pass sentence, and corrections to rehabilitate an individual accused and sentenced for a crime. Police book, jail, and confine criminals making society a safer and better functioning thing and that’s why they’re the most important element.