Criminal Justice 1

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Crime

Back 1

a specific act of commission or omission in violation of the law, for which a punishment is prescribed.

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Crime Control Model

Back 2

a model of the criminal justice system that assumes that freedom is so important that every effort must be made to repress crime; it emphasizes efficiency, speed, finality, and the capacity to apprehend, try, convict, and dispose of a high proportion of offenders.

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Due Process Model

Back 3

a model of the criminal justice system that assumes freedom is so important that every effort must be made to ensure that criminal justice decisions are based on reliable information; it emphasizes the adversarial process, the rights of defendants, and formal decision making procedures.

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Disparity

Back 4

the inequality of treatment of one group by the criminal justice system, compared with the treatment accorded other groups.

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Discrimination

Back 5

differential treatment of individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status, instead of on their behavior or qualifications.

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Federalism

Back 6

a system of government in which power is divided between a central (national) government and regional (state) governments.

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System

Back 7

a complex whole consisting of interdependent parts whose operations are directed toward goals and are influenced by the environment within which they function.

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Exchange

Back 8

a mutual transfer of resources; a balance of benefits and deficits that flow from behavior based on decisions about the values and costs of alternatives.

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Plea Bargain

Back 9

a defendant’s plea of guilty to a criminal charge with the reasonable expectation of receiving some consideration from the state for doing so, usually a reduction of the charge. The defendant’s ultimate goal is a penalty lighter than the one formally warranted by the charged offense.

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Discretion

Back 10

the authority to make decisions without reference to specific rules or facts, using instead one’s own judgment; allows for individualization and informality in the administration of justice.

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Filtering process

Back 11

a screening operation; a process by which criminal justice officials screen out some cases while advancing others to the next level of decision making.

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Dual court system

Back 12

a system consisting of a separate judicial structure for each state in addition to a national structure. Each case is tried in a court of the same jurisdiction as that of the law or laws broken.

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Adjudication

Back 13

The process of determining the guilt or innocence of a defendant.

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Arrest

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The physical taking of a person into custody on the ground that probable cause exists to believe that he or she has committed a criminal offense. Police may use only reasonable physical force in making an arrest. The purpose of the arrest is to hold the accused for a court proceeding.

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Warrant

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A court order authorizing police officials to take certain actions; for example, to arrest suspects or to search premises.

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Information

Back 16

a document charging an individual with a specific crime. It is prepared by a prosecuting attorney and presented to a court or hearing.

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Indictment

Back 17

A document returned by a grand jury as a “true bill” charging an individual with a specific crime on the basis of a determination of probable cause as presented by a prosecuting attorney.

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Felonies

Back 18

serious crimes usually carrying a penalty of death or incarceration for more than one year.

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Misdemeanors

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Offenses less serious then felonies and usually punishable by incarceration of no more than a year, probation, or intermediate sanction.