The American Criminal Justice System is very unique compared to other legal systems around the world. There are many components to this criminal justice system and the process. From our jury system to our rights when accused of an alleged crime, our criminal justice system is entirely its own. In honor of Law day I will be giving you a lecture of the basic history, principles, and components to the American Criminal Justice System and hope to broaden your knowledge. .
America being a country which started with thirteen charter governments, based off of customs from Great Britain, and it was hard to make laws. This was until the Declaration of Independence was instituted on July 4th, 1776. Then in 1788 the United States Constitution was ratified. Finally in 1791, the Bill of Rights was created. This giving Americans our first ten amendments. From here every American was guaranteed certain rights such as freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and the right to a fair trial. Today, the United States Constitution includes twenty-seven amendments. Which are all parts of your rights as an American citizen. .
According to the dictionary, crime is defined as "an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law." When an individual commits a crime or is being of accused of one, there is a process that is to be followed. This is where the American Criminal Justice System comes in to play a role. In America, every individual is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. This is all part of due process of law and individuals should never be deprived of this privilege. This is one of the main things that makes us as Americans us.
In recent U.S. history, two criminal court cases "O.J. Simpson" and "Casey Anthony" showed how individuals made their minds up about guilt even before the trials. There are plenty of cases where people are almost without a doubt guilty and should be executed or just thrown in jail.
