A reaction to criminal justice record keeping systems and how they are structured in the united stat

Structure of the Criminal Justice System

Police officers operate in the community to prevent and control crime. They cooperate with prosecutors in criminal investigations, gathering evidence necessary to obtain convictions in the courts. Courts are tribunals where persons accused of violating criminal law come to have their criminal responsibility determined by juries or judges.

The purposes of the courts are to seek justice and to discover the truth.

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The primary actors in the courts are the prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges. The purposes of correctional agencies are to punish, to rehabilitate, and to ensure public safety. The differences between federal and state justice systems Federal and state justice systems carry out the same functions enforcing laws, trying cases, and punishing offendersbut the laws and agencies of the two systems differ.

State legislatures make most criminal laws, which are enforced by state and local police.

City and county prosecutors try persons accused of breaking state laws in state courts. At the federal level, Congress enacts criminal laws, and federal law enforcement agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, enforce these laws. To punish and rehabilitate those convicted of federal crimes, the Federal Bureau of Prisons provides programs and institutions.

The Structure of Criminal Justice

The first line of defense against crime The administration of justice in the United States is mainly a state and local affair. Then, too, state, county, and city criminal justice agencies provide most of the protection from thieves, rapists, and murderers. If this is the case, consider when and if your record can 2-page essay picasso sealed.

Getting your record sealed may require that you actually go to a courthouse in the same jurisdiction where you were convicted and deliver a special request.

Can You Work in the Criminal Justice Industry if You Have a Record?

But not all offenses committed under the age of eighteen are necessarily available to be sealed. While a misdemeanor is obviously less serious than a felony, misdemeanors do stay on a criminal record for life. However, not all misdemeanors automatically show up on a background check. For instance, misdemeanors such as disorderly conduct, vandalism or petty theft, which are prosecuted at the county level, may not appear if your prospective employer runs a state background check; that being said, it is highly advisable that you be completely honest with your prospective employer and tell them about it.

Felonies present a different case. For instance, a Class A crime such as murder, arson assault or a sex crime can never be sealed — although it is unlikely that anyone with that background will be out of prison or considering a criminal justice career.

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If you committed what is considered a Class B crime including burglary, drug sales, or possession of stolen property, there is a mandatory ten-year period before you can request your record to be sealed.

Class C crimes such as vehicle theft or possession of a firearm World wide web and property b that you wait for five years and not have been convicted in the interim of any other crime.

And if a youthful indiscretion resulted in the order to perform public service or take classes, your record is automatically sealed when you reach the age of eighteen. One wrinkle in the area of employability is that many criminal justice jobs that may be available to someone with a record may also include specific requirements that make it impossible to accept such a job. For instance, felonies that prevent an individual from purchasing, carrying or owning a firearm will automatically limit the kinds of positions you can accept.