As a result of reading this chapter, you will be able to

1. Explain the importance of studying and understanding our criminal justice system
2. Describe the foundations of our criminal justice system, including its legal and historical bases and the difference between the consensus and conflict theories of justice
3. Define the crime control and due process models of criminal justice
4. Describe the importance of discretion throughout the justice system
5. Describe the fundamentals of the criminal justice process—the offender’s flow through the police, courts, and corrections components, and the functions of each component
6. Explain the wedding cake model of criminal justice
7. Discuss the importance of ethics and character in criminal justice