United States Government: Democracy in Action

"Crime and Punishment"

Introduction
In this chapter you have learned about law in the United States—about the principles of the legal system, the various types of civil law, and the types of criminal law. In this activity you will take a closer look at criminal law and the criminal justice process.

Destination Title: Lawyers.com

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Directions
Start at the Lawyers.com Web site on criminal law.

• Read through the topics under the heading "Crime and Criminal Law Basics."
• Next, use your back button to return to the previous page. Select the article titled "The Criminal Justice Process."
• If you have time, return to the home page and select the link for the FAQs section.

After you have read through the information, answer the following questions.

1			What are the two main categories of crime? How do they differ?
2			List the stages that are generally followed in the criminal justice process.
3			What are the United States Sentencing Guidelines?
4			What is plea bargaining?
5			On a separate sheet of paper, write a newspaper editorial on the topic of crime in the United States. Do you think the criminal justice system works? How could it be improved? What could be done to reduce the level of crime?