Learn About Due Process And Crime Control With A Criminal Justice Course

Those wishing to pursue a career in the criminal justice system will take an Introduction to Criminal Justice course. The course teaches students about the democratic system in a republic such as the United States. It teaches about enforcing laws to protect society and about due process for criminals. The two models in our system are the crime control model and the due process model.

Students taking this course will learn about the two models of the criminal justice system that benefits both citizens and criminals, who are innocent until proven guilty. The crime control model is the one law enforcement uses to control crime and punish the criminals. The due process model focuses on the rights of suspects. Police and other law enforcement officials have the upper hand in the one model, while corrections and courts have the upper hand in the second one.

Early on in the 20th century in America, when society saw large groups of people coming into the country to seek a better life for themselves, society sided with the crime control model of law enforcement. Beginning in the late 1950s and in the 1960s, society began to call out for due process to ensure that law enforcement did not infringe about a citizen's rights or freedoms.

The Crime Control Model - In the crime control model, police and law enforcement work to control crime in an orderly and timely fashion. When law enforcement takes a suspect into custody, one of two things will happen. If there is enough evidence to proof the guilt of the suspect, police will ensure that the suspect gets a fair trial as quickly as possible to prove their innocence. If they can't prove anything, the suspect will be set free.

If law enforcement fails to produce enough evidence to send suspects to court, they must release them on the notion that they are innocent. The criminal justice system gives law enforcement the benefit of the doubt when determining a suspect's guilt or innocence, with unlimited abilities to investigate and gather facts.

The Due Process Model - Because our justice system is fair, society never wants to see someone who did not commit a crime go to jail for a crime. Sometimes, however, due process shares the responsibility with law enforcement when guilty parties go free. In this model, fairness is the key, while law enforcement's ability to show guilt of a suspect takes precedence in the crime control model.

Due process takes into account that humans are capable of making mistakes, and this extends to law enforcement. This model limits the criminal justice system to lessen the chances of sending innocent people to jail. Restrictions place on law enforcement with the due process model attempts to prevent human error. The courts take on the responsibility of protecting a suspect's rights in the due process model. In the crime control model police perform their duties to protect society from suspects accused of committing a crime.

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