The American Criminal Justice system can be confusing when trying to understand or follow a case. In order to understand the process of a criminal case it is necessary to break it down into five stages. These stages include: The Investigation/Arrest, The Pretrial Activates, The Adjudication, The Sentencing, and the corrections. Each stage plays an important role when holding a criminal case.
The first stage in the criminal Justice Process is the Investigation/ Arrest. When the police discovers that a crime has been committed they gather as much evidence that they can at the scene. Gathering evidence at the scene makes it possible to recreate the situation surrounding the crime. While collecting evidence at the scene some arrests are also being made. “Only about half of all people arrested are eventually convicted, and of those, only about a quarter are sentenced to a year or more in prison” (Pg.18). If the arrest is not made at the scene, then a warrant is issued. A warrant is a legal document which allows police to arrest and individual. During each arrest police officers make sure to advise each suspect of their constitutional rights, which has to be done by questioning. After the suspect is taken into custody then they are booked. During booking pictures are taken, fingerprints are made, and personal information is gathered (Pg.18). The
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Based on the constitution every suspect has a right to a fair trial; However not all cases go to trial. For Instance, Small offenses where the maximum jail time is six months or less are resolved without a trial. Other cases are ““Pleaded out”, which means they are dispensed of as the result of a bargained plea, or they are dismissed for one of a variety of reasons” (Pg.20). Cases that make it to trial are regulated by strict regulations known as Procedural Law and Precedent. Trials are very expensive and can take months in order to