Chapter 1 Courts, Crime and Controversy LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Understand the interdependent nature of the CJ system. 2. Know the basic federal and state court structure. 3. Know who the actors are in the courthouse, paying particular attention to the prosecutor, defense lawyer and judge. 4. Understand the thirteen steps of criminal procedure. 5. Grasp the contrast between the law on the books and the law in action. 6. Understand the due process and crime control models of criminal justice. 7. Become familiar with the cases featured in each chapter. CHAPTER OUTLINE I. The courts are an important part of the criminal justice system. A. Three main components of criminal justice system: 1. police 2. courts 3. corrections B. Interdependent criminal justice system C. Fragmented criminal justice nonsystem D. Federalism (power divided between states and federal government) E. Tensions and conflicts between components and agencies II. America has thousands of courthouses and a dual court system. A. 17,000 courthouses B. Dual court system (state and federal) C. Trial and appellate courts III. Prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges are the 3 main actors in the criminal courthouse. A. Prosecutors 1. independent and fragmented 2. most powerful of major actors