What is a Crime?
This is an act that the law says is wrong and can be punished by the justice system
What is a crime?
This word means a general agreement in a group
What is consensus?
These are the three main things the criminal justice system's institutions do: catch people accused of crimes, decide if they are guilty, and punish those found guilty
What is law enforcement, courts, and corrections?
This is the name for the system where power is shared between the U.S. government and the states
What is federalism?
These are moral principles about what is right and wrong
What are ethics?
Behavior that doesn't fit a community's norms, like using animal fur, is called this
What is a deviance?
This model of justice says that people in a society share similar rules and values, and laws are made to prevent harmful behavior
What is the Consensus Model?
This is one of the four main goals of the criminal justice system, which involves helping offenders so they can safely return to the community
What is rehabilitate offenders?
At the local level, these law enforcement officers investigate crimes, keep the peace, and control traffic
Who are county sheriffs and city police?
Ethical thinking helps workers in the justice system make these kinds of decisions
What are fair decisions?
A crime is considered an offense against this group as a whole and is handled by public officials
What is society?
This model of justice says not everyone agrees on what is right or wrong, and groups often clash over what should be a crime
What is the Conflict Model?
The justice system has to adapt to new threats, like these flying gadgets used for smuggling or dropping makeshift bombs
What are drones?
State police and highway patrols handle traffic, investigate fires, and enforce these types of laws
What are gun and alcohol laws?
When a professional in the justice system uses discretion, they should make moral choices based on these
What are society's norms?
As public attitudes change, these also change. For example, in the early 1900s you could buy heroin at a pharmacy, but now selling it is a crime
What are laws?
According to the Conflict Model, these groups have the most influence on laws
Who are the most powerful groups (based on class, income, age, race)?
The U.S. has this many court systems in total, including one federal system, one for D.C., and one for each of the 50 states
What is 52?
Federal agencies like the FBI and DEA enforce national laws against big problems like terrorism, drugs, and this
What is violent crime?
If discretion is not used carefully, a person's personal bias or this can harm fairness
What is poor judgment?
An act only becomes a crime when this group decides it should be punished
Who are lawmakers?
Because over 70% of U.S. prosecutors are white men, some minority communities might feel this toward law enforcement
What is mistrust?
The "informal" justice system relies on this, which means using personal judgment instead of only following strict rules
What is discretion?
In criminal cases, these three types of people decide if someone is guilty or innocent
Who are judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys?
An officer who refused to arrest a homeless person for sleeping in a garage because he felt it was unethical shows that ethics can sometimes clash with these
What are rules?