HIstory of the Criminal Justice System
The American Criminal Justice System dates all the way back to the colonial days, when the colonies were run by the laws of the British. Many people concidered these laws unfair. By the end of the 17th century, William Penn started to change these old laws. Later, when the U.S. constitution was made (1787), it brought with it new rights and freedom that did not exist in the years before. This was the beginning of a new system, one that would protect the rights of the innocent, and punish the guilty.
Of the three parts of the criminal justice system (Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections), all have ties to the British system.
Law Enforcement:
The law enforcement system has we know it was established by 1700. Larger cities, like New York, formed night watches. Between the American Revolution and the Civil Wars, as population grew, cities organized police departments. By the 1830s, Philadelphia had a police force. New York had one by the 1840s. This basic police system moved west as the population did.
Courts:
Before the revolution, American courts followed the laws of Great Britain, Except that sometimes the colonists did not have the same rights as the Englishmen, which caused a rebellion. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution was adopted by the states. Two of the amendments, the 5th and the 6th, relate to criminal justice.
The 5th amendment states that a person must be notified that there is an issue. They will have to appear in court, and that they will hear what they are being accused of, so that they may prepare a defense. They also have the right to not self-incriminate
The 6th amendment is related to the rights of those who have been charged with crimes, including the right to speedy and public trials, and a trial by jury. The accused must also be told of all the charges they are faced with.
Corrections:
The systems used during colonial times were based off of the British system, and relied on punishment and execution.
By the mid-1800s, states moved toward imprisonment, rather than killing and physical punishment. In the early 1900s, the focus of the criminal justice system started to be more about reforming criminals. Then, the a system of inmate classification and parole was made by Zebulon Brockway, superintendent of a reformatory in New York.
Today, the criminal justice system seeks to rehabilitate offenders, and eventually release them. Even within prisons, there are job training, housing assistance and more which are provided to prisoners as they near their release dates.
Of the three parts of the criminal justice system (Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections), all have ties to the British system.
Law Enforcement:
The law enforcement system has we know it was established by 1700. Larger cities, like New York, formed night watches. Between the American Revolution and the Civil Wars, as population grew, cities organized police departments. By the 1830s, Philadelphia had a police force. New York had one by the 1840s. This basic police system moved west as the population did.
Courts:
Before the revolution, American courts followed the laws of Great Britain, Except that sometimes the colonists did not have the same rights as the Englishmen, which caused a rebellion. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution was adopted by the states. Two of the amendments, the 5th and the 6th, relate to criminal justice.
The 5th amendment states that a person must be notified that there is an issue. They will have to appear in court, and that they will hear what they are being accused of, so that they may prepare a defense. They also have the right to not self-incriminate
The 6th amendment is related to the rights of those who have been charged with crimes, including the right to speedy and public trials, and a trial by jury. The accused must also be told of all the charges they are faced with.
Corrections:
The systems used during colonial times were based off of the British system, and relied on punishment and execution.
By the mid-1800s, states moved toward imprisonment, rather than killing and physical punishment. In the early 1900s, the focus of the criminal justice system started to be more about reforming criminals. Then, the a system of inmate classification and parole was made by Zebulon Brockway, superintendent of a reformatory in New York.
Today, the criminal justice system seeks to rehabilitate offenders, and eventually release them. Even within prisons, there are job training, housing assistance and more which are provided to prisoners as they near their release dates.