Explain the significance of the terms "eminent domain" and "just compensation."

What will be an ideal response?


The Fifth Amendment states "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.". This is known as the Takings Clause and it means, very simply, that the government cannot take a person's property for public use unless it pays fair market value for it, which is the definition of just compensation. More often than not, real property (i.e., real estate) is at the heart of the taking. Personal property (such as a car or a boat) may be appropriated by the government, too. The Takings Clause protects this type of property as well (see Horne v. Department of Agriculture, 2015).

Sometimes the government needs to take private property for the public good (such as to build roadways, bridges, or other public improvements). The government can purchase the property outright if the owner is cooperative, but if the owner is unwilling to sell, the government can acquire the property through eminent domain. Under this power, the government brings a condemnation action against the property and pays the owner fair compensation. It is, in essence, a forced sale of the property to the government.

Criminal Justice

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Comparative criminal justice investigates and evaluates a national system of justice in terms of other countries, cultures, or institutions

Indicate whether the statement is true or false

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Saturation patrols are long-term solutions for high crime areas

Indicate whether the statement is true or false

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When a police officer acts in place of the parent, he or she is acting _________________.

Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

Criminal Justice

After the American Revolution, the source of much of the statutory crimes in this country came from

a. newly created crimes unknown to English common law b. Roman law principles of crime c. converted common law crimes d. the extensive penal codes of several European countries

Criminal Justice