WHO AM I
This courtroom official oversees the trial and rules on legal issues.
JUDGE
I am at the bottom and largest layer of the wedding cake. I include minor offenses, misdemeanors, and routine cases that courts handle every day.
I protect your right to express an opinion, even when the government or other people strongly disagree with it.
What is Freedom of Speech?
I am usually the first part of the criminal justice system involved after a crime occurs. I investigate, gather evidence, make arrests, and help protect the public. Which part am I?
What is Law Enforcement?
What if you are arrested for robbery and cannot afford an attorney? This courtroom player would be appointed to protect your rights and represent you.
Who is a Public Defender/Defense Attorney?
This attorney represents the accused person in court.
DEFENSE
I am a murder case involving a famous person that dominates television, social media, and national news. Because of my unusual facts and intense public attention, I would most likely be placed in this part of the wedding cake.
FIRST LAYER
Students organize a peaceful walkout to protest a school policy. This First Amendment freedom protects people's ability to gather peacefully for a common cause
What is Freedom of Assembly?
Prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and juries are major players in my part of the criminal justice system.
What are the Courts?
What if a group peacefully protests outside a police station criticizing law enforcement? As long as they follow lawful restrictions, this constitutional amendment generally protects their speech and peaceful assembly.
What is the First Amendment?
We are ordinary citizens called to court. We listen to testimony, examine evidence, deliberate privately, and decide whether the prosecution proved its case
I involve serious felony cases, such as violent crimes, that receive significant attention from prosecutors and courts but usually aren't famous nationwide.
SECOND LAYER
A newspaper publishes an investigation criticizing the police chief and mayor. This First Amendment freedom generally prevents the government from censoring the newspaper simply because officials dislike the story.
What is Freedom of the Press?
My responsibilities may include operating jails and prisons, supervising offenders, providing rehabilitation programs, and preparing individuals to return to society?
What is Corrections?
What if police investigate a crime, make an arrest, and submit the case for prosecution? The case now moves primarily into this major part of the criminal justice system
What are the Courts?
I represent the government. I review evidence, question witnesses, and try to prove the defendant committed the crime.
I involve more serious crimes than the bottom layer, but my cases are still fairly common. Burglary and other ordinary felony cases might land in my layer
THIRD LAYER
I allow citizens to contact government officials, complain about government actions, and ask the government to make changes.
What is the Right to Petition the Government?
I am a nationwide crime-reporting program managed by the FBI. I collect crime data reported by law enforcement agencies and help show patterns and trends in known crim
What is the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program?
What if you are convicted but the judge allows you to remain in the community as long as you report regularly, avoid new crimes, and follow specific conditions? You are most likely under this type of corrections supervision.
What is Probation?
I usually work with someone after they have been convicted. I monitor whether they follow court-ordered rules, may conduct home or office visits, and report violations to the court
PROBATION OFFICER
I am the theory that says criminal cases are not all treated alike. Instead, cases can receive different amounts of attention and resources depending on their seriousness, circumstances, and public visibility.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE WEDDING CAKE THEORY
A person tells a crowd, “Someday we should change this law.” Another person deliberately encourages a crowd to commit immediate violence. One statement is much more likely to lose First Amendment protection.
The statement intended and likely to incite imminent lawless action can fall outside First Amendment protection.
Police statistics don't capture every crime. These two methods help uncover the “dark figure of crime” by asking people either what crimes they have committed or what crimes they have experienced as victims. What are they?
What are Self-Report Surveys and Victimization Surveys?
What if police arrest a person, a prosecutor charges them, a defense attorney represents them, a jury finds them guilty, a judge sentences them, and a probation officer supervises them afterward. What three major components of the criminal justice system were involved?
What are Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections?