A career in law enforcement gives you the chance to see a democratic form of government in a republic such as the one we have here in America. The first chance for students to learn about laws, enforcing laws, and protecting the rights of citizens and criminals, is with an Introduction to Criminal Justice course. To understand the process of apprehending suspects of crimes and their rights to a fair trial, students will learn about the two models used by the criminal justice system. They are the crime control model and the due process model.

Students taking this course will learn about the two models of the criminal justice system that benefits both citizens and criminals, who are innocent until proven guilty. The crime control model is the one law enforcement uses to control crime and punish the criminals. The due process model focuses on the rights of suspects. Police and other law enforcement officials have the upper hand in the one model, while corrections and courts have the upper hand in the second one. You may find you are able to speed your success in college by learning more about masters in criminal justice.

Early on in the 20th century in America, when society saw large groups of people coming into the country to seek a better life for themselves, society sided with the crime control model of law enforcement. Beginning in the late 1950s and in the 1960s, society began to call out for due process to ensure that law enforcement did not infringe about a citizen’s rights or freedoms.

The Crime Control Model – The crime control model involves law enforcement officers controlling crime quickly and efficiently. When police arrest a suspect of a crime, the crime control model allows for a swift process with one of two outcomes. In one scenario, the suspect is released quickly when there is not enough evidence to prove the person did anything wrong, and most likely did not commit the crime. In the other, a suspect will receive a trial where a lawyer will plead his or her innocence in a court of law.

If law enforcement fails to produce enough evidence to send suspects to court, they must release them on the notion that they are innocent. The criminal justice system gives law enforcement the benefit of the doubt when determining a suspect’s guilt or innocence, with unlimited abilities to investigate and gather facts. Find out if a criminal justice career might be a good choice for you by getting online to look up Test Drive Online College for more details.

The Due Process Model – With this model, it becomes more difficult to prove the guilt of a suspect. Society would never want an innocent person to go to prison for a crime that he or she did not commit. Unfortunately, sometimes this means that a guilty party goes free as well. Fairness dominates the due process model, while efficiency in proving guilt dominates the crime control model.

Due process takes into account that humans are capable of making mistakes, and this extends to law enforcement. This model limits the criminal justice system to lessen the chances of sending innocent people to jail. Restrictions place on law enforcement with the due process model attempts to prevent human error. The courts take on the responsibility of protecting a suspect’s rights in the due process model. In the crime control model police perform their duties to protect society from suspects accused of committing a crime.

An Introduction to Criminal Justice course will give students the information they need to work in the process of keeping people safe from suspected criminals and ensuring these suspected criminals get a fair chance at proving their innocence. Log onto www.testdrivecollege.com for more information about criminal justice degrees and sign up for a free online college course.