Restoration Justice

The criminal justice system offers a chance to not only provide justice, but also rehabilitation.

The following introduction to the criminal justice system will deliver a deeper understanding of how the system is structured and how offenders are processed through from start to finish.

The criminal justice system in the United States is broken down into three main components: the Federal system, individual systems for each state, and then thousands of local systems. The process of being arrested begins in the local system and in some cases may transfer over to state criminal systems or even the Federal corrections system.

Entering the System

The most common way for anyone to enter the criminal justice system in the U.S. is to commit a crime, though some juveniles may be taken into the system for other reasons such as running away from home. Some adults may also be arrested temporarily so they can sober up if caught publically intoxicated. In those cases, the person is usually released once they have sobered up or the runaway’s parents have been located, as long as no other crimes were committed to warrant further punishment.

Most cities have jails for short term holding while those arrested have a hearing with a judge. In that hearing a bond will be set which determines how likely they are to be released until further court dates. If a band cannot be met or is denied, then the offender remains incarcerated either at the local jail or potentially to another city where a bigger jail is located.

Those who have committed Federal crimes will be transferred immediately into the Federal criminal justice system.

Temporary Release

Those who make bail or who are released without bail are allowed to return to their home with the requirement that they return for their court dates. They will continue showing up for court and going home afterward until they are either relieved of the charges or found guilty and sentenced.

A sentence can include any combination of required restorative justice programs such as counseling or community service, probation, and jail time. If no jail time is ordered, then the offender is monitored by a probation officer to ensure they stay within the confines of the probation sentence and complete any mandated programs. If they at any time violate their probation terms they can find themselves back in jail serving out their sentence.

Those who are assigned to prison terms will be admitted into the state criminal justice system to a state-operated prison. They may end up serving under a probation officer once they have completed their prison sentence as well.

Final Punishments

Those who are not released on bond for whatever reason remain in prison while going through their court dates and trials. They will eventually be exonerated from their alleged crimes and released free or sentenced to any combination of restorative justice programs, probation, and jail time.

From there, they follow the same path as someone who was earlier released on bond. They either move on with their life while being supervised by the probation department or they are moved to a state-run prison to serve in the state’s criminal justice system.

This process can be a bit different for juveniles who enter the juvenile corrections program, mainly because there are alternative options such as entering a boot camp or other program specifically operated for juveniles.