Publisher's Synopsis
What is Criminal Justice Reform?Criminal justice reform is working to end the number of prisoners in the justice system through both litigation and advocacy. By fighting for nationwide reform at a variety of government levels, the nation can right wrongs before the problem becomes worse.While no criminal justice system is entirely perfect, neither is that of the United States. Reform aims to fix these errors, and there are a number of organizations involved in the movement in various ways, including: -Reducing harsh prison sentences-Changing the drug sentencing policy surrounding the war on drugs-Decriminalizing certain laws, including drug policies-Prioritizing rehabilitation of offenders, especially juvenile offenders-Altering policies surrounding food assistance programs and voting rights for previous offenders-Changing minimum sentencing lawsWhat are the three consequences, whenthe police arrest the defendant?When the police arrest someone (the defendant), they take him or her to jail.Then, 1 of 3 things happens: - The defendant is released if the prosecutor (usually the district attorney or the city attorney) decides not to file charges; or- The defendant posts bail (also called a "bond") or is released based on a promise to appear in court at a later date for arraignment. If either of these happen, the district attorney or police tell the defendant when to come to court for arraignment; or- The defendant stays in jail. Law enforcement officers transport the defendant to the COURT
