Criminal Justice: An Overview into the Career Field

By Gerardo Cruz Durante

This book serves as an introduction for any high school student interested in the criminal justice field. It is an informative reader-friendly resource filled with graphs, charts, and photos that represent real-world scenarios and true stories of offenders. The book guides students thru the concepts and process of justice, the understanding of the investigative process, the different categories of crimes, how an arrest is made, domestic violence issues, and the concepts of probation and parole. A wide variety of career fields are highlighted in the criminal justice arena that provides key information that students will need to identify the career path for their future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479792634

Gerardo Cruz Durante

Gerardo Cruz Durante Gerardo Cruz Durante is originally from Chiapas, Mexico. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Ashworth College. This book was inspired by society’s need to put juveniles on a career path into the criminal justice system to be a productive member of society instead of putting them in the actual system as an offender. He resides with his wife, Cathleen, and daughter Alexa in Maryland. Angela Mendoza Estonactoc Angela Mendoza-Estonactoc is from the Philippines. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Education (Double Major Math and Special Education) from the University of the Philippines and pursued her Masters at the New Era University. Being an educator, she was inspired by her students who would like to pursue a career and related careers in Criminal Justice. She currently resides in Maryland with her husband, Marvin, and three children, Adrian, Ysabelle and Sebastian.

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by Gerardo Cruz Durante and Angela Estonactoc. 128726-CRUZ

ISBN: Softcover     978-1-4797-9262-7

ISBN: Ebook          978-1-4797-9263-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 04/19/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

CRIMINAL JUSTICE:

An Overview into the Career Field for High School Students

INTRODUCTION

The field of criminal justice is very broad and offers several types of career paths. It is highly interdisciplinary overlapping with many other subject areas such as technology, psychology, science, and sociology. Most people in this field work with the public on a daily basis focusing on relationships among crime, the criminal justice system, and society. The jobs consist of protecting the public, acting as government officials, and even as law enforcement in the private sector. The objective of these careers is to ensure our society runs efficiently and that all members of society are safe and secure at home, at school, or in public. The field of criminal justice is the entire system that governments put in place to maintain social order. From lab work to police to judges, there is no shortage of work in this area.

The three main areas of the criminal justice system are law enforcement, courts, and corrections. These areas work together to prevent, detect, and punish criminals and deviant behaviors. Which area you choose depends on your education, types of work experiences, personal characteristics, and what type of location you would like to work in. Each job will require different training. This may consist of academic coursework, physical testing, on-the-job training, specialized training certificate programs, or a combination of any of these. The type of education you get will directly add to the advantages or benefits of your career. Those who earn a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, or PhD may enjoy more benefits and greater opportunities for higher positions and higher salaries. Regardless of what area of the criminal justice system you choose, a rewarding career will make a difference in your life as well as others.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Judicial System

       Part 1: The Bill of Rights

       Part 2: The Criminal Justice System

Chapter 2: Types and Categories of Crime

       Part 1: Enterprise Crime

       Part 2: Property Crime

       Part 3: Public Order Crime

       Part 4: Violent Crime

       Part 5: White Collar Crime

Chapter 3: Investigation

Chapter 4: Making an Arrest

       Part 1: Arrest and the Society

       Part 2: Different Types of Arrests

       Part 3: Arrests in Public Records

Chapter 5: Types and Categories of Crime

Chapter 6: Probation and Parole

Chapter 7: Careers in Criminal Justice

       Part 1: Federal Law Enforcement

       Part 2: State and Local Law Enforcement

       Part 3: Corrections

       Part 4: Court and Legal Careers

       Part 5: Security

       Part 6: Forensic Science

Bibliography

OBJECTIVES:

1. Determine the importance of the Miranda Rights in the Judicial Process

2. Discuss the different types of court trials

3. List the Bill of Rights and relate it to real life situations or events

THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM

Chapter 1

The criminal justice system enables each and every individual to exercise his or her rights. In a trial, both the suspect and the victim have a right to obtain a lawyer to aid in understanding the process. A suspect will be considered innocent until proven guilty.

The Bill of Rights

Part 1

• the right of petition,

• an independent judiciary (the Sovereign was forbidden to establish his own courts or to act as a judge himself),

• freedom from taxation by royal (executive) prerogative, without agreement by Parliament (legislators),

• freedom from a peace-time standing army,

• freedom to bear arms for their defense, as allowed by law,

• freedom to elect members of Parliament without interference from the Sovereign,

• freedom of speech in Parliament,

• freedom from cruel and unusual punishments and excessive bail, and

• freedom from fines and forfeitures without trial.

A. The fourth amendment – Search and Seizure

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

-The US Constitution (www.usconstitution.net)

In the fourth amendment, it explains that warrants are not necessary in some other special circumstance. Roadblocks and checkpoints are very common ways of conducting warrantless searches or seizures.

Discussion: Obtaining a search warrant.

Search warrants are important during the investigation. It gives permission or allows the authorities to look at a person’s personal property or properties. During an investigation, there is no institution, person or premises that could prohibit the authorities in acquiring a search warrant if there is probable cause. In the case of a crime that occurred in the presence of the authorities (i.e. attacking a police officer or during a pursuit), a search warrant may not be necessary. It is considered an emergency case or of needing circumstance.

During the search, there can also be restrictions to which part/area of the person’s property that could possibly be restricted to search. In some movies or crime related TV shows, it is observable that police officers announce their presence after knocking or entering the premises. In some cases, the authorities just enter the property and do not identify themselves. In the 4th amendment, it states that a person has a right to refuse being searched to protect his property or belongings. But when announcing ones presence may aggravate the situation or the raid, then it is best to move quietly and catch them in the act.

Once a person is convicted and/or arrested, he is read/given his Miranda rights, which is as follows:

• You have the right to remain silent.

• If you do say anything, what you say can be used against you in a court of law.

• You have the right to consult with a lawyer and have that lawyer present during any questioning.

• If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you if you so desire.

• If you choose to talk to the police officer, you have the right to stop the interview at any time.

WHY MIRANDA RIGHTS ?