The UK Criminal Justice System

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Furthermore, the United Kingdom law enforcement consists of a force with nation-wide authorities and regional units. In this format it is quite similar to the system in the United States. Still the UK police are more closely interlocked by statutory regulations, which bind the country together through exposure and deterrence of crime (Dixon, 1929, p. 178). The regional UK crime unit is composed of territorial police forces and National Law Enforcement bodies. They have a Chief Constable who resembles a U.S. sheriff and a National Crime Agency that performs the same tasks as the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the States. The largest compilation of police lies in the British Transport sector due to thousands of miles of railways in Britain. …show more content…
5). Once the juvenile is in the custody of the local police they start an investigation into the amount of evidence to prove if they are guilty. As the UK process continues the facts of the case are passed to the district lawyers from the probation office. If the petition passes then the young offender can be released on bail to the parents or a shelter until the hearing takes place. Most of the time these juveniles are released on first time offense or with a minor charge (Dunkel, 2014, p. 34). If they are charged with a crime the next part is an arraignment, which starts the cycle of adjudication. Making a plea is now an option when in the past only parents had the right to decide what was best for their child. The following route through youth court is similar to the adult procedure except there is typically no jury present. Only a judge will make the final decision. In some situations with serious delinquency the youth court might send the investigation to the Crown Court where there are more adult-like proceedings. The juvenile is soon convicted and the reports are conducted by the probation officers and various representatives to either conclude in numerous fines or the occasional youth detention center. For the latter, it depends on if the juvenile is between fifteen and eighteen years old. Over the past couple of decades Britain has focused more on diverting the youth from adjudication, while trying to legislate strategies like the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act in 1994, the Crime and Disorder Act in 1998, and the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act in 1999 (Terrill, 2010, p.

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