Criminal Justice System

Katie Jones

Someone commits a crime and then victim of the crime is asked to

give a statement to the police.

Breaking the Law…

When the police arrive at the scene of the crime they ask the person who committed the crime questions.

If the police think they are guilty they arrest them. The person who committed the crime can ask for

help from a solicitor.

Charges …

The police officer who is responsible for investigating the crime will question the person

who has been arrested.

Questioning ca

n

last up to

72 hours!

After the police have finished questioning they can either:-

•Let the person go• Ask a magistrate for 24 hours to

question them more• Charge the person who was

arrested

Charging a person m

eans to

accuse

them of a

crim

e.

A charged person goes to the magistrates court. The charge sheet that explains what the person is accused of will be

read out.

Remand …

The solicitor might ask for bail. The magistrates will decide whether to remand into custody or on bail.

Remanded in custody

Someone who has been charged must stay locked up until they appear in court

again.

Remanded on bail This means they are

charged with a crime but can go free until they appear in court again.

The person who committed the crime and the solicitor will write down what they said happened. The police will help other people who saw what happened write down what they saw. They are

called witnesses.

Get Ready For Court …

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) gather all the information from the police and use this to

decide if the person did commit the crime.

The Magistrates Court …

The person who committed the crime goes to the magistrates

court. There is no jury in a magistrates court, only

magistrates. The magistrates make all the decisions. The

defendant can say whether they are guilty or not guilty.

If the defendant says they are guilty, then the magistrates make

a decision on a punishment. If they say they are no guilty then the CPS tells the court why they

think they are guilty.

For the most serious crimes, like murder, the defendant has

to go to the Crown Court. A crown court has a judge and a jury that make decision. A jury

is 12 people.

The Crown Court …

The jury listen to reasons why that person might be guilty or innocent and make a decision.

At least 10 people from the jury must agree for them to give a

verdict.

The Sentence …

If the judge give the defendant a punishment, this means the

defendant becomes a convicted criminal. To decide on the sentence the judge has to review and think about the

crime committed.

Only for serious crimes will the criminal go to prison. For crimes not as bad they

normally have pay a fine or do community work.