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 Legislative
 Executive
 Judicial
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 Local
 State
 Federal

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 Police
 Courts
 Corrections
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 Local
 State
 Federal

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 Activity governed by a criminal code
 Includes arrests, investigations, traffic tickets, etc.
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 Governed by Sir Robert Peel’s Nine Principles of Policing
 Quality of life issues
 Includes controlling crowds, gatherings, traffic

 Catchall category
 Includes animals, neighborhood issues, abandoned vehicles, other public needs


Largest portion of police responsibility

Largest portion of police expenditures

12,766 local departments
 Municipal Police Departments
 Sheriffs’ Departments

Tremendous variation in department size


Smallest portion of police responsibility

49 state police agencies

Responsibilities
 Highway Patrol
 State Law Violations
 Special Jurisdiction


Special Policing Issues
 Federal Bureau of Investigation
 Immigration and Customs Enforcement
 Secret Service
 Drug Enforcement Administration
 Many others

Narrow Jurisdictions

Established by Congress or the President


Crime Investigation

Arrest Law Violators

Gatekeeping

Court Transport

Court Security


Tremendous variation among jurisdictions

Functions
 Protect society from criminal offenders
 Dispute resolution

Levels
 Local
 State
 Federal


 Probation and Parole
 Community Corrections Programs
 Institutional Corrections

 Retribution
 Rehabilitation
 Deterrence
 Incapacitation
 Reintegration

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Local
 City and County Jails
 Short-term housing

State
 Largest portion of corrections system
 87.5% of prison population

Federal
 U.S. Bureau of Prisons
 Federal Probation


Legislative Branch
 Congress
 Created by Article 1
 Authority includes taxation, court creation, war declaration

Executive Branch
 The President
 Created by Article 2
 Authority includes enforcement of laws, acting as commander-in-chief, executive office appointments

Judiciary Branch
 The Supreme Court
 Created by Article 3
 Power of judicial review


Separation of powers between the state and federal governments

10 th Amendment
 Any power not given to the federal government
 Reserved to the states or the people

Comity: when one government defers to the other’s authority


A court’s legal authority to decide a case

Subject Matter Jurisdiction
 Civil law jurisdiction
 Criminal law jurisdiction
 Other special jurisdiction
 Juvenile law
 Probate law
 Family law


Courts of Limited Jurisdiction
 Lack the power to hear a full range of cases
 Specialized jurisdiction
 Inferior courts

Courts of General Jurisdiction
 Have the power to hear a full range of cases
 Adhere to formal court procedures
 Judges must be licensed attorneys
 Hear appeals from inferior courts


Courts of Original Jurisdiction
 Court that first hears the case
 May be of limited or general jurisdiction
 Courts of first instance

Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction
 Hear appeals from courts of original jurisdiction
 Appeals are based upon errors of law
 Courts of intermediate appellate jurisdiction
 Courts of last resort
 State Supreme Courts
 U.S. Supreme Court


Law
 Provides relief through damages
 Civil and criminal law

Equity
 Used when there is no remedy available through the law
 Provides relief through injunctions


Form of justice used in the U.S.

Two parties to the dispute
 Opposing one another
 One will win and one will lose
 Zero-sum game

Contrast with inquisitional justice
 Government gathers evidence of defendant’s guilt
 Fewer people charged with crimes
 Assumption of defendant’s guilt