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The Criminal Justice Process

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The Criminal Justice Process
Katelyn Farlow
CRJ 306 Criminal Law & Procedure
Instructor: Robert Schneider
June 2, 2014

The criminal justice process is made up of many steps and procedures; however they are made up of many stages. These stages break up the process in order to make sure no steps are missed before the final decision has been reached. It all starts with an arrest, then bail must be determined, pleas entered, hearings scheduled, and motions heard. “In addition to the law enforcement officers who investigate and arrest, several other parties participate in this process. They include prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses, judges, and juries” (Wright, 2013). Let’s take a look from beginning to end.
First and foremost there is an investigation by law enforcement officers. The purpose of a criminal investigation is to gather evidence to identify a suspect and support an arrest. An officer tried to gain enough evidence to get a probable cause. A probable cause is the standard of proof required for a search. “Probable cause is sufficient proof that would lead a reasonable person to believe a person has committed a crime” (Wright, 2013). Probably cause deals with crimes that have already been committed and that there is evidence pointing to a certain person. Probable cause allows for search warrants to be issued and suspects to be detained. If there is no probable cause or a crime that has already occurred an officer may act on reasonable suspicion. When it comes to reasonable suspicion officers can solely rely on their training, experience, and understanding of criminal behavior. In the court's language, “We merely hold today that where a police officer observes unusual conduct which leads him reasonably to conclude in light of his experience that criminal activity may be afoot and that the persons with whom he is dealing may be armed and

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