NCJ Number
120322
Date Published
1989
Length
27 pages
Annotation
The responsibility for the legitimacy of preventive criminal justice policy belongs not to police nor prosecutor, but to the legislator.
Abstract
Preconditions for police intervention have changed from the legally regulated and precise to more flexibly interpreted, easily managed alternatives. Police emphasize the importance of combatting crime before it happens; Prosecutors have similarly generalized directives within criminal law. The criminal justice system is tied up with petty criminality and argues for more frequent dismissals in order to pursue the prosecution of semi-serious and serious criminality. Disregard for constitutional rights is prevailing and is the result of statutes that allow changing public values to determine prevention and criminal justice policy. The legislator must carefully examine whether and to what extent there is room for preventive measures in statutes, for each user of the law tends to interpret prevention for the sake of personal expedience. 76 notes.