Criminal Justice Evaluation
CJA/354

Criminal Justice Evaluation

Criminal law defines what conduct is considered criminal. The law defines the acts that may lead to an arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment. (Schmalleger, 2010) Criminal law protects society from harm, punishes individuals who have broken the law, maintains social order, rehabilitates offenders, and deters criminal activity (Schmalleger, 2010). The sources of criminal law include the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, statutes, ordinances, and regulations. According to the American Heritage Dictionary 2009, a jurisdiction is a “right or power to administer justice and to apply laws”. Jurisdictions include a territory, state, or entity in which the law is enforced. The United States has federalism which consists of two governments who have authority over Americans. These two governments are federal and state governments. Federal governments have authority over “interstate and international commerce, foreign relations, warfare, immigration, bankruptcy, civil rights, and certain crimes committed on the high seas and against the “law of nations” (international law)”. (Schmalleger, 2010, p. 26) State governments have jurisdiction over the welfare of the people within the state and local cities. State governments have the power to make laws to ensure the wellbeing of the people within the territory. Law enforcement agencies, and of the justice systems like the courts and the correctional system uphold the law all of them enforce the laws.
In an adversarial system, the police conduct the investigation and when an arrest is made, the prosecution becomes involved in the case. The adversarial system consists of a defense lawyer and a prosecutor. Both the prosecutor and defense attorney must provide the evidence and facts and prove his or her case. The burden of proof lies on