The Three Main Components Of The Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system is composed of many parts, but the three main parts include: the police, the courts, and corrections. Without them, the world would be thrown into chaos. Each serves their own purpose, can work well together, and, at times, can hinder each other. They all are constant forces pushing, pulling, and working together to meet a common goal. To keep order and protect those who can’t protect themselves. First and foremost, there has to be an understanding of what each part does individually. Our text book lists the different functions of each of the three main components of the criminal justice system. According to Schmalleger (2014), the police enforce the laws, protects the public, and apprehend those who break the laws; the courts preside over the trials, ensure all parties involved receive fair and just treatment in their cases, and hands down the judgments; and
An easy way to do this is by understanding the consensus model (Schmalleger, 2014). It fosters the belief that “each of the component parts of the criminal justice system strives toward a common goal and that the movement of cases and people through the system id smooth due to cooperation between the various components of the system (Schmalleger, 2014, p. 9). Simply put, each of these three parts relies on the others in order to do their jobs properly. There are many examples of this seen across the country. When the police gather evidence and arrest someone because of crimes they have committed, it is the evidence that they find that the courts use to convict and sentence them. It is then the job of the correction agencies to make sure that those convicted serve their sentences in healthy and appropriate manner. Each part is connected and necessary in order for the entire system to efficiently and effectively work. Though, there is always the “what if” of them working for the own