Final Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Final Project - Essay Example The main components of a criminal justice systemare: law enforcement, prosecution, defense attorneys, courts and corrections, all of which play a major role in the process. Officers in law enforcement take reports when crime is committed in their areas of jurisdiction, they investigate the crimes while collecting and protecting evidence. They then may arrest suspects based on their investigations and give testimonies in court. Prosecution is composed of lawyers who represent the federal or state government during the court process. They receive evidence from law enforcers, review it to decide whether to keep or drop a case, present the evidence in court, they question the witnesses and negotiate plea bargains with the accused. Defense attorneys represent the accused against the case of the government and are either hired by the defendant or in cases where the defendant cannot afford an attorney, they are assigned by the hearing court. In courts, judges follow and oversee the proceedi ngs of a case, they accept or reject plea agreements, make decisions on whether to release the defendant before trial, and sentence offenders who are found guilty. In corrections, assigned officers superintend convicted offenders in prison, jail or while they are in the community on parole or probation. The correction officers ensure the safety and security of the facilities that hold offenders, they supervise offenders in daily activities and oversee the process of releasing inmates. At times, these officers prepare reports containing detailed background information on the offender to aid judges in sentencing and they notify victims in case of status change of the offender. Murder This refers to the criminal act of unlawful ending the life of another human being without any excuse or justification. It is regarded into three types depending on the seriousness of the crime: homicide which is the most serious, manslaughter which is less serious and justifiable homicide which is not re garded as a crime. Under US law, it is classified into either intentional murder, murder resulting from the intent to cause serious harm to another person, killing resulting from a depraved heart orextreme recklessness and murder committed by an accomplice during its commission, its attempt or flight from other crimes (Pollock, 2008). Depending on the circumstance surrounding the act, the convicted offender may be sentenced to many years in prison without the possibility of parole or death. Various states classify murders by degrees with the most common being first degree murder which is willful and premeditated, and second degree murder that is not premeditated(Jenkins, 2011). Discussion of Case Study Arrest The offender, James Lane was arrested by the police and charged with the murder of Lucy Lane and Rodney Hill based on the sufficient evidence uncovered (a six inch blade knife and clothes that were soaked in blood that matched the blood type and DNA of both Lucy Lane and Rodney Hill). The police officers would first read the offenders rights to him and state the charges on which he was being arrested. Due to the seriousness of the crime, Mr. Lane would be booked into police custody. His fingerprints and photo would be taken during the booking process and he would then be led into a cell in a holding facility. Court Within hours of his