The Criminal Justice System: Miranda V. Arizona

Criminal Justice System The Criminal Justice System is a lengthy process in which those convicted of a crime go through in order to determine the type and time of their sentencing. Crime is breaking any part of the law. Crime can be of various levels of significance depending on the type of crime committed. Misdemeanors, which are minor crimes, can result in under a year in jail/prison. Fellonies, which are serious crimes, can result in much longer periods of time in prison. Misdemeanors would be considered as things like shoplifting, while felony would be defined as things like murder. People commit crimes for many different reasons. Some people commit crimes because they feel it is a necessity, due to a lack of money or basic needs to live. Others do

Before a criminal can be entered into the legal system, it needs to be proven that they are actually guilty. The police can have a consensual encounter with the offender to gather more information and perhaps find a reasonable suspicion or even probable cause to allow the police to have further questioning on the lawbreaker. If reasonable suspicion is found, an investigative detention and/or stop and frisk is warranted. If probable cause is found, they will be arrested by the police. The accused has rights through this process secured under Miranda v. Arizona, which determined that everyone has privilege against self-incrimination and must be reminded of this right before questioning for their own protection if court occurs. If an arrest occurs, the next step in the criminal justice system is charging, the act of accusing someone of a criminal charge. In this step, a person can either be found innocent or guilty of a crime by a grand jury. A grand jury is a group of people selected to hear the defendant and prosecutor. The prosecutor has a role in a trial that is against the person that committed the crime, often on behalf of the