The Justice System

The Justice System

Looking into criminal justice procedure, many administrations are at work. Starting with the police, to the courts and concluding in corrections. Though all these sectors have different tasks, their combined focus is processing the law. Regardless what the process is called criminal justice will continue to serve with discretion, conviction, and correction. When first presented with the question whether criminal justice is a system, non-system, and network I leaned toward a network. Throughout our discussions, lectures, and readings I felt the process presented itself as a network. Intertwined divisions working for a common goal. Further into my research and help from Webster, I decided that the criminal justice process is a system that is why it is called the criminal justice system and has been so, for many years. This system includes many networks that serve a common purpose, are dependent upon one another, and keep each other in check.

Many may try to disagree as Alvine Cohn does in his introduction to Improving Management in Criminal Justice. He stated that "…no true system actually exists…(it) is a collection of disparate, fragmented services and programs, with many interrelationships, but (has) no…direction, philosophy, or mission"(Cohn, 7-8). This could be the farthest from the truth considering the system is always changing to better the process. This philosophy or mission that he speaks of does not have to be written on paper to exist. Though the absence of a clearly explained and comprehendible goal may result in conflict (Cohn, 9), this is inevitable when arguing two different sides. Regardless of what professionals and critics call it, it is "…(a) social control mechanism which…society calls the justice system"(Jones, 83). This system may differ from other systems, but it still includes the main characteristics of that which a system is defined.

A system defined in Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is " …an organization forming a network especially for distributing something or serving a common purpose…" Using this definition we can include all arguments for the progression of criminal justice as a network since a system comprises many networks. This system has interrelated departments that look to each other to fulfill common goals of prevention and justice. Along with this common goal are common practices. The most ...

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.... Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, NY. 1983.

www.m-w.com/cgi-bon/dictionary. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. March 25, 2001.

Bibliography

ALDER,F., MUELLER,G.O.W., LAUFER,W.S. Criminal Justice; an introduction. second edition. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. US. 2000

COHN, Alvin W., WARD, Benjamin. Improving Management in Criminal Justice. Sage Publications. Beverly Hills, CA. 1980.

COLE, George F. The American System of Criminal Justice. Wadsworth Publishing Co, Inc. Belmont, CA. 1975.

HANCOOK,Barry, SHARP,Paul. Criminal Justice in America; theory, practice, and policy. second edition. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2000.

JACKSON, Bruce. Law and Disorder; Criminal justice in america. University of Illinois Press. US. 1984.

JONES, William, Jr. Criminal Justice Administration. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, NY. 1983

KALINICH, KLOFAS, STOJKOVIC. The Administration and Management of Criminal Justice Organizations. Waveland Press, Inc. Prospect Heights,IL. 1994

www.albany.edu/sourcebook/. section 1. Bureau of Justice Statistics. March 25, 2001.

www.m-w.com/cgi-bon/dictionary. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. March 25, 2001.