Crimes and Punishments

Abstract This chapter examines the American criminal justice system. After some basic discussion of what, exactly, constitutes a crime, the chapter sketches out the functions of the criminal justice system, the history of criminal law, and the types of crimes (and their relative rates) today. Criminal procedure, from arrest to conviction, is detailed next, with special focus on plea bargaining, the constitutional rights of the accused, and the role of the jury. Finally, there is a discussion of the penal system and the role of class and race in the criminal justice system with attention to the rights revolution and its effect on the criminal justice system.