You witness a robbery happening next door, how will you react to it? Besides being afraid and scared, your first step will be to inform the police, and you might testify in court as a witness. Law and order play a pivotal role in every society, and it helps in maintaining peace. Had there been no law enforcement agencies or judiciary, the world would be a mess. Just like a country needs a direction and set of rules, we humans also need ground rules that are unanimous for everyone. Imagine a world where everyone is giving their judgment based on what seems right to them. There will hardly be any people alive.
Rage and violence are a few of the factors that initiate criminal behavior. Human brains have a punishment and reward center. Our minds can adapt to changes quickly based on what is happening around us. If we train our mind telling it that bad things or actions lead to punishment, it will create a memory of it. Just like we all believe that crime is an evil action, you will barely find people justifying any crime except the criminal itself. Certain factors determine the reason for criminal behavior, and it has both psychological and socio-economical reasons involved.
Luckily, we live in a world where we have qualified and selected people for maintaining the peace and harmony around us. It is not one person’s job but a collective effort to think about the betterment of society. Crime and violence are everywhere, but you will also witness trials and lawsuits running against them. As a victim of a crime or a witness to it, better to know what legal pathway you can follow. The following ways may help you in a smooth legal procedure.
- Rules
We cannot just go and have our things done from our admissions in a school to purchase a ticket at a platform. It requires us to follow the rules and regulations. Similarly, the rules are more robust and mandatory to follow when it comes to crime and justice. People with online law enforcement degree are well aware of these rules, and you can always seek their help in any legal matter. You cannot just rely on one set of the law even if you are filing a lawsuit, but you will have to ensure that you abide by all the rules existing in the judiciary system. These include State constitutions, Bills of Rights, the US constitution, State codes, and department and agency rule and regulation. Suppose you fail to follow any of them. In that case, your case may go null and void as the judiciary not only ensures justice for crime victims but also binds its citizens to become better.
- Investigation
As a law enforcement agent or a lawyer, you cannot rely on the information you provide and hunt the criminal. You will have to follow the procedure to build your case before presenting it in front of a judge. For instance, if you claim that the police officer has given you a wrong parking ticket, the authorities will demand an investigation to find out if it is true or not. If a crime happens, the police investigate the scene to gather evidence to arrest the criminal or identify the suspect.
At times investigations require a thorough and detailed search of the crime scene. We have seen many movies that when a murder happens, they seal the area, and the police look for every possible evidence they can find on the crime scene. The same happens in real life. No police officer will barge in even if you report a robbery. They will look for the evidence first.
- Getting hold of the criminal
Once you have investigated the scene and have a lead to follow, the next step is to hunt down the criminal. We barely see criminals with conscience handing them over to the law enforcement departments for the crimes. It is common for criminals to stay away from the police or not get caught. Grabbing hold of the criminal means that you have to take the person into custody for further investigations and holding the suspect until court. An investigation from the crime scenes can also find a fingerprint that they can later match in their database to see if the person or suspect has a previous criminal record.
- Indictment
It involves the filing of information by the prosecutor. It is only valid when a prosecutor is prosecuting a capital offense. They have the option of the indictment involving crimes that are punishable by imprisonment. In the US federal system and half of the state, the grand jury has the authority to decide if they need to bring charges against a person in a close hearing where only the prosecutor presents the evidence. The accused person or the suspect is not eligible according to the law to be present at the hearing or to avail of a defense attorney if the grand jury is handling the case. In other cases, a preliminary hearing is necessary to determine if the evidence gathered is enough to issue a trial warrant against the accused. If there is a trial warrant, the defendant and their attorneys can attend the hearing and claim a dispute to the charges.
- Arraignment and Bail
For instance, if you report a person as a criminal or accuse them of a crime, the law gives them the right to an arraignment. It is a process where an accused person appears in court and enters a plea whether they are guilty or not guilty. In case they are not guilty, the case does not proceed further, and after few confirmations, it gets dissolved.
In case a person is guilty and wants to be free of temporary custody before trial, they can apply for bail. It is a legal process where an accused person or the defendant pays to ensure that they will appear in the court for trial.
Conclusion
The leading criminology and criminal justice professionals are no longer relying on their guts, but they utilize data-based tactics. When we decide to take things through the proper chain of command, we have to follow all the prerequisites to get our things right. The criminal justice system entails many laws that have shaped this world to be a better place. Crime and violence exist, but we have a legal procedure to follow if we intend to taste justice and do things the right way.