About Criminal
A criminal case is a legal proceeding in which an employee of the federal, state or local government, known as a prosecutor, charges a person with the commission of a crime. It is a different legal process than civil law, where lawsuits are brought by individuals against other individuals and entities.
The purpose of criminal law is to protect society from harm by deterring people from committing crimes, punishing people who commit crimes and rehabilitating those who have been convicted of crime-related offenses. Different jurisdictions have varying criminal justice systems and philosophies. For example, some rely on retributive systems that emphasize punishment and rehabilitation, while others use restorative justice.
Investigators are a critical component of the criminal justice system, collecting evidence to help prosecutors build strong cases for prosecution. Criminal investigations involve a complex set of skills and knowledge, including search warrants, interrogations, interviews and forensic science. In addition to preserving and presenting the evidence in court, investigators also document it with photographs, sketches, written notes and other documentation. This creates a legal record that tracks each piece of evidence and ensures it cannot be tampered with or stolen.
The social context of a criminal case can dramatically influence its outcome. For example, communities of color are more likely to encounter the police and be arrested, which has contributed to higher rates of incarceration in the US, further deepening America’s racial wealth gap. This is why it’s so important to educate police officers and other criminal justice professionals on de-escalation tools, community-based mental health services, and treatment-based incarceration alternatives.