After reading this chapter, students will be able to:

• Identify the three main components of the criminal justice system
• Determine whether cases reported in the media adequately reflect the bulk of cases processed through the justice system
• Describe the relationship between the criminal justice system and the juvenile justice system
• Explain how criminal justice is a social science
• Describe the history of criminal justice as a field of study
• Compare and contrast criminal justice and criminology
• Explain the role that criminal justice has in their life
• Describe the process of ethical decision making in the criminal justice system