Understanding The Criminal Justice Process in New Jersey

The criminal justice system is not as simple as it appears on the outside. It comprises three major institutions that are responsible for processing a particular case right from the inception through the trial and to the punishment. A case normally begins with the law enforcement officials identifying the case and they further proceed with investigating the crime. They then gather the right evidence to identify the presumed perpetrator and use it to prove them guilty. The case slowly moves to the court and the trial takes place. The Lento Law Firm has the most experienced lawyers who would help you through all the below-mentioned processes.

The law enforcement

The constitution confers several rights that help the accused to stay safe from the abuses of law enforcement officers. These rights are known as the Miranda advisement and the Fourth Amendment. They prevent the officers from conducting unreasonable searches and seizures. According to these rights, once an individual is arrested, they have the right to stay silent. For anything they say might be used up against them. The individual has the right to call an attorney and if they do not have one, the department is going to give them one. The suspect also has the right to prevent the officers from searching their homes or personal properties without a legitimate search warrant.

The court

There are multiple restrictions in the court just like there are in the law enforcement stage. The court has the ability to prosecute a case; also their rights are defined in confronting one’s accusers. They have a limited right to incriminate an individual, the right to counsel them, and the right to proceed towards a jury trial.

The corrections system

This step is mostly proceeded with if the charges are proven right against the convicted individual. They are then sent to the correction system for receiving the punishment. This might include acts of probation, incarceration, or at times both. Depending on the severity of the crime, the probation can be both supervised as well as unsupervised. Incarceration is also a common outcome of criminal trials and this happens mostly in cases where the crimes are serious.

By now you must have well-understood how tough it can be if you get stuck within the legal system in search of justice. Hence, it is advisable to have an attorney working with you.