The three major areas of the criminal justice system are the police, courts, and corrections. All three areas work together to uphold the law and bring those who break the law to justice. All three areas do have major issues and satisfactions of the job, but the major issues of law enforcement will be the focus of this paper.
Major Issues
The most functional role that law enforcement officials play in the criminal justice system is to uphold the law. There will be several major issues that may arise when an individual is a police officer. The issues include safety, trust, time, and the community. Safety is a major issue for any officer. He or she needs to be constantly aware of the surroundings and the possibility of something going wrong at any of the calls he or she responds to. Trust is another major issue for officers. It can be hard to count on others especially other officers with one’s life. It may also be hard to trust what witnesses, victims, and suspects report to the officer, so it is important to get both sides of every story.
Time is an issue that may seem the most crucial for officers. Officers will at times feel a time crunch. This may be due to working overtime or having a double workload due to budget cuts. Officers should find a way to release the extra tension or stress that will enter his or her life. The community is another major issues that the officers will handle. The community involves upholding the law, finding the criminals who commit the crimes, and making sure that he or she is arrested and punished for the crime.
Satisfaction of the Job
Law enforcement officials are put to the test daily. The officers may have to endure long countless hours of patrolling or investigating a crime. The long hours can build up which causes officers to possibly be burnt out. The negatives of being an officer of the law is the long hours, high stress levels, danger of the job, and possible negative interactions with family and friends. Some would wonder why individuals would put himself or herself through those possibilities. The answer is the love of law. It may seem corny, but officers tend to do what he or she does because they want to protect the individuals who reside in that community. The officers want to bring a piece of mind to the area. Many law enforcement officials have families of their own. This includes a wife, husband, and possibly kids. The officer wants to make sure that the entire neighborhood, including his or her family, is free from criminal activities.
Criminal Justice Administration Course
This particular course, for me, was interesting. I plan on practicing family law in the near future, once I am done with law school. From there my goal is to become a judge. This course has given me a better understanding of the makeup of law enforcement and the court system. The information that sticks out is in regards to the court clerks and this final week’s discussion questions regarding sexual harassment. The discussion questions were interesting and a few times I had to think on what I was going to say, because there was so much I wanted to type. The course will be beneficial for me in the understanding of some of the process that occurs through the criminal justice administration.
I have found information on probation officers and parole that I was not aware of. When I was in high school, I was able to work at the Jerome County Courthouse in Jerome, Idaho. The program was school-to-work and I found it extremely beneficial for myself in learning what happens throughout the court house. This course reminded me of some of the information I had forgotten and other information (parole and probation) that I had not completely learned while I was there.
Conclusion
Law enforcement officials do have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Officers are to uphold the law and help those in need. The continuous pressure to do just that may cause extreme stress, so it is important for officers to learn how he or she can cope with the many levels of stress that he or she will face. Law enforcement officials play a large part in the maintaining of a lawful neighborhood.