NCJ Number
117694
Date Published
1988
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This overview of the Federal criminal justice system emphasizes its role in cases involving Federally insured financial institutions and explains the system's components, the investigative process, and the decision to prosecute a banking crime.
Abstract
Law enforcement in the United States is the shared responsibility of the Federal and State criminal justice systems. Crime, especially nonviolent crime, involving Federally chartered or Federally insured financial institutions is one of the areas in which the States have traditionally deferred to Federal law enforcement authorities in major cases. Federal prosecutors have many more resources than those of States, and the Federal interest in banking crimes results from the importance of financial institutions to the nation's economy. The Federal criminal law enforcement system begins with the first suspicion that a crime has occurred and proceeds in stages through the conclusion of the trial and possible appeals. Crime referrals go to the United States Attorney's Office for the specific locale. Investigators from several Federal agencies are assigned to the criminal investigations involving banking crimes. A grand jury investigation follows the prosecutor's preliminary investigation. The prosecutor reviews the evidence from the grand jury investigation and determines whether to file criminal charges, the persons who should be charged, and the nature of the charges. The grand jury usually follows the prosecutor's recommendation regarding an indictment. Footnotes.