This slideshow details the different branches of the American Criminal Justice System, the purpose of each branch, and some examples of agencies found in each branch.

1. The Three Branches of the
American Criminal Justice System
“Idaho Police Pay Respect,” 2009 by pnwguy. Used under a Creative Commons
Attribution-No Derivative license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/

2. The American Criminal
Justice System
• Law Enforcement
• Courts
• Corrections

3. Law Enforcement
Officers must:
• Enforce laws
• Determine if a crime has occurred
• Investigate the crime
• Press charges, if appropriate

4. Three (3) Levels of Law
Enforcement
• Federal (FBI, DEA, ATF, Secret
Service, Marshals, Postal Inspection
Service)
• State (VSP, TBI, CHiPS)
• Local (Sheriff’s Deputies, City Police)

5. Courts
Courts must:
• Review evidence
• Determine if the accused is guilty
• Determine if punishment is needed
and, if so, what type is appropriate

6. Types of Courts
• Federal: Magistrate Courts, District
Courts, Courts of Appeal, the U.S.
Supreme Court
• State: Courts of Limited Jurisdiction,
Trial Courts of General Jurisdiction,
Intermediate Courts of Appeals, Courts
of Last Resort, the U.S. Supreme Court

7. Corrections
Monitors the sentence imposed by the
Court
• Incapacitation (incarceration):
Misdemeanor or Felony
• Rehabilitation: trying to “cure” the
offender

8. Jail or Prison?
• Jail: for those convicted of
misdemeanors and who are serving less
than 1 year
–Usually run by a local government
• Prison: for those convicted of felonies
and who are serving more than 1 year
– Run by State or Federal government

9. Probation/ Parole
• Probation: when an offender is
monitored by a Probation Officer in the
community instead of going to
jail/prison
• Parole: when an offender is monitored
by a Parole Officer in the community
after serving time in prison

10. Community-Based
Corrections
Goal: to rehabilitate the offender while keeping
him connected to the community
• Boot camps
• Intensive supervisor programs
• Electronic Monitoring
• Half-way houses
• Faith-based programs
• Day reporting centers