Statistics can be found at: –Criminal Case HandlingFederal Justice Arbitration View detailed flowchart To ensure that discretion is exercised responsibly, government powers are often delegated to professionals. Professionalism requires a minimum level of training and guidance to guide public servants in decision-making. The professionalism of police services is largely due to the desire to ensure the proper exercise of police discretion. When juveniles are brought before juvenile courts, the admissions chamber of the court or the prosecutor decides whether there are sufficient grounds to justify the submission of a request for a hearing or a request for transfer of jurisdiction to the criminal court. At this stage, many young people are released or referred to other programmes. An inmate may be eligible for parole after serving a certain portion of their sentence. Probation is the conditional release of a prisoner before the prisoner has served his or her full sentence. The decision to grant parole is made by an authority, such as a parole board, which has the power to grant or revoke parole or to release a probation officer completely. The way probation decisions are made varies greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The government has launched a program to make the criminal justice system more efficient by improving the processes for investigating, prosecuting and convicting offenders. In some jurisdictions, defendants, often those without a criminal record, may be distracted from prosecution as long as certain conditions, such as drug treatment, are met.

Compliance with conditions may result in charges being dropped or criminal record expunged if the accused must plead guilty prior to diversion. When the grand jury system is used, the grand jury can also investigate criminal activity in general and issue charges called grand jury originals that initiate criminal prosecutions. These investigations and charges are often used in drug and conspiracy cases involving complex organizations. Following these charges, law enforcement agencies are attempting to arrest and apprehend the suspects named in the indictment. After several weeks or months of preparation, the prosecutor and defense are ready for trial. Trial is a structured process in which the facts of a case are presented to a jury and the jury decides whether the defendant is guilty of the charge or charges. Usually, a jury trial takes place in a courtroom, but there are circumstances in which the case is heard alone before the judge, which is called a trial. During the trial, the prosecutor uses witnesses and evidence to prove to the jury (or judge in a court case) that the accused committed the crime.

The accused, who is represented by a lawyer, may also testify on the basis of witnesses and evidence. Which of the following best describes the function of a legal system? Judges and jurors may discharge the sentence that may be imposed include one or more of the following: Examination of witnesses After the opening of statements, the prosecutor begins to question the government witnesses directly. During direct questioning, the prosecutor may present evidence such as documents or something from the crime scene. After the prosecutor has examined a witness, the defence lawyer has the opportunity to cross-examine the same witness or ask questions. „Law and order exist to establish justice, and when they fail to that end, they become dangerously structured roadblocks that block the flow of social progress.“ – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Offenders sentenced to prison usually spend their time in a local or state prison. Offenders sentenced to less than 1 year generally go to prison; Those who have been sentenced to more than 1 year go to prison. Persons admitted to the federal system or to a state penitentiary system may be detained in prisons at varying degrees of detention or in a municipal correctional facility. For statistics on this topic, see –Law enforcement entry in the system flowchart Detail Upon arrest, the decision is made to either refer the case to the court system or remove the case from the system, often to other programs. Examples of alternative programs include substance abuse treatment, individual or group counselling, or referrals to educational and recreational programs.