Criminal Justice

An Overview of the System

ADAM J. MCKEE

Section 1.1: The Criminal Justice System

Learning Resources

Learning Objectives
1.1(a)	Describe the differences between the individual rights and public-order perspective.
1.1(b)	Describe the need for a system of order maintenance within society, and explain the role of law within that system.
1.1(c)	Explain the structure of the criminal justice system in terms of the three major components using the vocabulary of criminal justice.
1.1(d)	Understand the goals of the criminal justice system.
1.1(e)	Describe how justice can be defined from various perspectives.

Slide Presentations

For the Classroom: INTRO-Section-1-1-presentation

For Printing: INTRO-Section-1-1-print

Present from the web:

Key Terms

Adversarial (legal system)
Bench Trial
Bill of Rights
Civil Liberties
Corrections
Courts
Crime
Criminal Justice System
Defendant
Defense Attorney
Discretion
Due Process
Due Process Clause
Equality (in Justice)
Equity (in Justice)
Exclusionary Rule
Fifth Amendment
Finder of Fact
Fourteenth Amendment
Incarceration
Individual Rights
Jail
Judge
Jury
Just Deserts
Justice
Lex Talionis
Parole
Police
Prison
Probation
Procedural Justice
Prosecutor
Retributive Justice
Rule of Law
Sheriff
Sheriff’s Deputies
Statute
Trial by Jury
United States Code

Download a Printable Vocabulary Study Guide [PDF]

In your more advanced courses and in your future career, your understanding of many technical and legal terms will be taken for granted. It is vital that you take the time to really understand the terms presented at the end of each section of this course. We’ve gone to great lengths to provide you with assistance in mastering this vocabulary. Don’t forget that there is an extensive glossary that defines all of the bold terms that you will encounter in your reading. In addition, the vocabulary for each section has been made available on a very useful website called Cram.com. This site has a wide selection of flashcards for you to study, memorize, test yourself on, and more. Cram also has a large app store so you can find other mobile flashcards for your Android, iPhone or Windows device, allowing you to take your flashcards on the go. There are even games that add some fun to learning important terms.

Study flashcards and play word games on Cram.com

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Last Updated:  04/21/2021