What are the three major components of the criminal justice system?

• A. Police, courts, corrections
• B. Law, order, governance
• C. People, processes, penalties
• D. The Legislature, the Executive, the Judiciary

Answer: (A)

Think of the criminal justice system as a process that moves cases from investigation to resolution through three main institutions. The first is the police, who enforce laws, investigate crimes, and gather evidence. The second is the courts, where those charged are examined to determine guilt or innocence and where sentences are decided. The third is corrections, which carry out sentences, supervise offenders, and work on rehabilitation and reintegration.

These components work together in a typical sequence: police investigate and arrest, prosecutors charge and bring cases to court, the court determines outcomes and imposes punishment or probation, and corrections administer the punishment and support rehabilitation. Other options describe different ideas—one lists the three branches of government, which isn’t the operational trio of the justice process, while the others are either too vague or not standard terms used to describe the system’s components.