The US Criminal Justice System is the government structure that comprises of the legislature, prisons, and courts. The system’s main duty is to prevent crime and punish wrongdoers by penalizing or detaining them in rehabilitation centers. The judicial system has strengths and weaknesses just like any other institution.
However, the structure has opportunities for improving its service provision in the presence of threats that can be overcome. Some of the strengths of the institution are that it considers criminals innocent until the court proves that they are guilty and it conducts trials speedily. One of the weaknesses of the system is that it experiences trouble while determining the jurisdiction of courts and judges (Geragos, & Harris, 2013). This paper will carry out a SWOT analysis of the judicial system to determine the strengths that it has and opportunities that it can use to minimize weaknesses and threats.
The first strength of the system is that it conducts fair and speedy trials to determine the innocence or guiltiness of defendants. The law requires a panel of judges to determine the guiltiness of the accused in any case. The ruling is made by a jury that guarantees justice to both the defendant and the plaintiff because judges cannot compromise the law in the presence of their peers (Miller, & Bornstein, 2013).
The next strength of the structure is that it considers criminals to be innocent until the court proves them otherwise. This law ensures that the court make rulings based on significant evidence. This requirement also ensures that the accused enjoy all their freedoms during the period of their trial (Miller, & Bornstein, 2013).
The other strength of the judicial system in the US is that it requires the jury to pronounce their judgment based on significant evidence. Significant evidence is that which does not violate the rights of the accused.