What Are The Three Branches Of The Criminal Justice System
The United States (U.S.) Criminal Justice System (CJS) consists of three interconnected branches that rely on communication and collaborative efforts to function and meet the needs of society. The three CJS branches of law enforcement, courts, and corrections can appear autonomous but it is common for all three branches to share responsibilities and rely on information collected from various areas of the CJS. Some examples of necessary collaboration and communication situations between CJS branches include legal searches, investigations, and pre-sentence reporting. Supreme Court decisions or major state cases will also influence the roles and responsibilities of the CJS branches at both the state and federal levels (Fagin, 2017). Lastly, research
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For example, interagency collaboration between law enforcement and the courts would be necessary if a police officer was conducting an investigation and needed access to evidence submitted into the court record (Fagin, 2017). Another collaboration scenario is a police officer wanting to know who contacted an incarcerated prisoner in-person or by phone. The police officer would need to collaborate with the prisoner’s corrections officer. The corrections officer will have records of inmate activity and would be aware of who visited the prisoner and/or talked with him over the phone (“What Correctional Officers and Bailiffs Do”, 2017). In the case of conviction, like that of Lou who committed burglary, a pre-sentence report must be completed before a sentence is imposed by the court. The probation officer is responsible for the pre-sentence investigation/report and must interview the defendant to define their characteristics and investigate financial or other circumstances affecting the defendant’s behavior. This could include interviewing the defendant’s family, friends, etc. The probation officer will also need to obtain information about any prior criminal record, which means collaborating with officers of the court and/or police officers that investigated the defendant. The probation officer also needs to collect information about harm and/or restitution of any victims impacted by the defendant’s offense. Additionally, the probation officer must identify an appropriate type of sentence for the court to impose, which means consulting with attorneys and possibly the judge (“Rule 32. Sentencing and Judgment”, n.d.). The range and scope of information a probation officer must retrieve to compile a pre-sentence report demonstrates why interagency communication and collaboration is imperative to the CJS
For example, interagency collaboration between law enforcement and the courts would be necessary if a police officer was conducting an investigation and needed access to evidence submitted into the court record (Fagin, 2017). Another collaboration scenario is a police officer wanting to know who contacted an incarcerated prisoner in-person or by phone. The police officer would need to collaborate with the prisoner’s corrections officer. The corrections officer will have records of inmate activity and would be aware of who visited the prisoner and/or talked with him over the phone (“What Correctional Officers and Bailiffs Do”, 2017). In the case of conviction, like that of Lou who committed burglary, a pre-sentence report must be completed before a sentence is imposed by the court. The probation officer is responsible for the pre-sentence investigation/report and must interview the defendant to define their characteristics and investigate financial or other circumstances affecting the defendant’s behavior. This could include interviewing the defendant’s family, friends, etc. The probation officer will also need to obtain information about any prior criminal record, which means collaborating with officers of the court and/or police officers that investigated the defendant. The probation officer also needs to collect information about harm and/or restitution of any victims impacted by the defendant’s offense. Additionally, the probation officer must identify an appropriate type of sentence for the court to impose, which means consulting with attorneys and possibly the judge (“Rule 32. Sentencing and Judgment”, n.d.). The range and scope of information a probation officer must retrieve to compile a pre-sentence report demonstrates why interagency communication and collaboration is imperative to the CJS