The Criminal Justice System Process - Part One

The criminal justice system is very complex. Most of what the public knows about the criminal justice system is what the media delivers. Most of the time, the media reports arrests, charges, verdicts, and sentences; however, these are not the only parts of processing a criminal. There are three types of offenses: juvenile offenses, misdemeanor offenses, and felony offenses. Each type of offense is processed in a unique way. This article is the first of a three part series of how offenders are processed once in the system. This article will discuss how juvenile offenses are processed.

Juvenile offenses are offenses committed by children 17 and under. In most cases, all offenses will be handled by the juvenile courts division. The exception to the case is when the juvenile is waived to adult court. This waiver typically occurs in murder cases and each state has its own law for age requirements.

The first part of processing a juvenile offender occurs when the crime is reported and observed. This means someone had to have seen the individual commit the crime and then reported it to police or police observed the crime themselves. Following the observation and reporting of the crime, an investigation is launched. Two things can happen as a result of the investigation: 1. the offender is not arrested or 2. the offender is arrested.

Once there is an arrest, the juvenile may be released without prosecution or the case is sent to the police juvenile division. If the juvenile is referred to the police juvenile division, she or he may be released or charges will be filed. Once charges are filed the juvenile is given an intake hearing to determine whether or not the case should be waived to criminal court. If the case is waived to criminal court, she or he will be charged in the adult criminal justice system.