Criminal Justice Administration
Criminal Justice Administration constitutes a system of interrelated practices and institutions of governments or states that are responsible for the upholding social control in the society. The system further deters and mitigates crime or any activities that would sanction those, who violate or breach laws with criminal punishments and rehabilitation efforts. It is also described as the means, by which the society enforces the standards of conduct. The standards of conduct are necessary to protect individuals and the community against the harmful effects of criminals and crime.
The system is coupled with a process that is begun by the police. Whenever there is suspicion of a crime committed, they investigate and make arrests of the individuals they suspect to be held responsible for the crimes (Samuel, 1980). Then they present the suspects before the second institution, the courts. Here, the prosecutor, who is a state representative, presents the case and facts as to why the accused should be punished.
Where the facts and arguments before the court determine or establish that the accused person is guilty, the individual is handed over to the third institution in the administration of justice, which is the correctional institution. In these facilities, the convicts receive the punishment for their wrongful acts. They are first separated from the entire society. They can also be put into a rehabilitation program. This ensures that the criminals pay a price for the crimes committed and hence a reduction of the crime rate.
Therefore, the system is made up of the three departments: the police, which begin the process by investigating and making arrests; the courts, which are the venues for determination of disputes; and the correctional facilities. In the courts, there are three groups of parties interested and who must be present. There is the prosecutor, who presents the case on behalf of the state and seeks the conviction of the suspect. There is also the defense attorney, who represents the accused. Where the accused cannot afford to hire a private lawyer, one is provided by the state.
This is aimed at ensuring that everyone has a right to legal representation and therefore, the right to a fair hearing. The last party is the Judge or Jury. They listen to the facts established regarding the cases and arguments presented by attorneys to decide of the case. In case the prosecutor presents the facts well and emerges victorious, the accused is found guilty and sent to jail. In the opposite case the defense wins, the accused is set free, not guilty verdict delivered.
The three components of the Justice Administration System are a true system. This is informed by the fact that one arm leads to the functioning of the other (Garland, 2002). The process must start with the police and end with the correctional authorities unless a suspect is not guilty. When one is guilty, the process works as the correction system endeavors to correct criminal behaviors in the society. This delivers justice both to the victims and the criminals based on their actions.
The fact that the Criminal Justice Administration works is a fact. However, there are situations whereby the process is said to have been compromised or found to be incompetent. This happens in systems that are full of corruption. Since one process leads to the other, the handling of it should be professional and above board. This is to ensure that no criminal goes scot-free. This would defeat justice if the process is handled haphazardly leading to poor evaluation of cases involving criminals. The system that does not deliver justice is, therefore, ineffective and a non-system. However, one that serves to administer justice effectively would remain a true system of Justice Administration.
