Explain the function of the criminal justice system from both an interdependent system perspective as well as a fragmented non-system perspective.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The interdependent system perspective to criminal justice dominates contemporary thinking. It highlights the fact that police, courts, and corrections are interdependent and interrelated. Though separate, they must interact with one another. What one part of the criminal justice system does or doesn't do directly affects the other two. The operations of law enforcement and corrections affect the judiciary. If more felons are arrested, the workload of prosecutors increases. The more overcrowded the prisons, the more difficult it is to make sentencing decisions. The decisions that courts make also have important consequences for law enforcement and corrections. The interdependence, however, does not necessarily translate into coordination and cooperation.The fragmented nonsystem perspective highlights the fragmentation that characterizes each component of criminal justice. There are nearly 18,000 law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal level that operate independently of each other. There are more than 1,820 state and federal correctional facilities and thousands of local jails. Corrections also encompass community-based corrections such as probation, drug treatment, and halfway houses. Prosecutors and courts exist at the local, county, state, district, and national level. This complexity and fragmentation can lead to conflict between the various elements of the criminal justice system.