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INTRODUCTION
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM (CJS) is the system or
process in the community by which crimes are
investigated, and the persons suspected thereof are
taken into custody, prosecuted in court and punished
if found guilty, with provision being made for their
correction and rehabilitation.
Institutional Framework
The responsibility for the CJS is primarily with the
national government. The Philippine CJS comprises
of five (5) pillars, namely Law Enforcement,
Prosecution, Courts, Corrections and the Community.
1.
Law Enforcement
Mission. Prevention and control of crimes,
detention/arrest of suspects, investigation and
filing of case, and assisting in prosecution.
Composition. Composed of five (5) major law
enforcement agencies, such as the Philippine
National Police (PNP), National Bureau of
Investigation
(NBI),
Philippine
Drug
Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Bureau of
Immigration and Deportation (BID), and Bureau
of Customs (BOC).
2.
Prosecution
Mission. Conduct preliminary investigation of
cases filed in the prosecutors office and
prosecutes cases filed in the court against
alleged offenders after probable cause is
established.
Composition. Comprises primarily of two
national government agencies, the National
Prosecution Service (NPS), an organic unit of
the Department of Justice and the Office of the
Ombudsman.
3.
Courts
Mission. Adjudication of justice and rendering
judgment.
Composition. The Philippine Judiciary is a fourtiered court system consisting of the Supreme
Court as the highest court of the land; the
intermediate courts consisting of the Court of
Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and Court of Tax
Appeals; the second level courts which consist
of Regional Trials Courts; and the first level
courts comprising of the Metropolitan Trial
Courts, Municipal Trial Courts in Cities,
Municipal Trial Courts, and Municipal Circuit
Trial Courts.
4.
Corrections
Mission. Correction, inmates welfare and
development,
rehabilitation,
jail/prison
management, and reintegration.
Composition. Composed of two major and
equally significant components (i) the
institution-based, and (ii) the community based
corrections. The institution-based corrections
comprise of prisons and jails administered by
the Bureau of Corrections of the DOJ, the
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology of
the DILG, and by the local government units
with regard to provincial and sub-provincial
jails. Community-based corrections pertain to
probation and parole. The Bureau of Pardons
and Parole is authorized by law to grant parole
to qualified prisoners. While the Parole and
Probation Administration (PPA) of the DOJ
administers the probation and parole systems
in the Philippines.
5.
Community
Mission. Work with communities and
organized groups in fighting criminality,
collectively impose limitations on citizens
behavior
to
deter
criminality/criminal
behavior, and serve as society at large where a
person convicted of a crime goes back to after
serving his/her sentence.
Composition. Non-Government Organizations
(NGOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs),
Commission on Human Rights (CHR),
Department of Social Welfare & Development
(DSWD), Public Attorneys Office (PAO),
Schools/Universities, Church/Religious Groups.
PROSECUTION PILLAR
An agency of the government which is charged with
the indictment of a person alleged to have violated
the penal laws.
COURTS PILLAR
A body to which the public administration of justice is
delegated. It is an entity or body upon which judicial
power is vested.
CORRECTIONS PILLAR
The Corrections Pillar is concerned with the
rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders into the
mainstream of society, upholding their human rights
and dignity through speedy legal and administrative
processes and provision of scientific and spiritual
programs.
COMMUNITY PILLAR
The community is considered as the most important
pillar of the Philippine Criminal Justice System. It is the
central institution of crime prevention, the stage on
which all other pillars of criminal justice system perform.
The participation of the community, as one of the five
pillars of criminal justice system, is crucial.
The community pillar collectively imposes limitations on
individual behavior of citizens that deter criminality and
criminal behavior for the common good of civilized and
democratic society. Institutions such as the barangays,
government agencies, legislative bodies, the academe,
and religious and civic organizations, among others, are
involved in this pillar.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
PILLAR
PROSECUTION PILLAR
APPREHENDED
BY POLICE OR ANY
LAW ENFORCEMENT
DIVERTED WHERE
NO SUFFICIENT GROUND
CAN SUSTAIN
PROSECUTED
FOR THE ALLEGED
OFFENSE
COMMITTED
DIVERTED WHERE NO
COMPLAINT
PROBABLE CAUSE
CAN SUSTAIN
PROSECUTION
REVERTED
TO THE
COURTS PILLAR
CORRECTIONS PILLAR
TRIED
BEFORE THE
COURTS
DIVERTED WHERE
EVIDENCE IS NOT ENOUGH
FOR
IF CONVICTED,
EITHER SERVES HIS
SENTENCE IN
JAIL/PRISON
OR PLACED ON
PROBATION
FULL SERVICE OF
SENTENCE OR DIVERSION
TAKES PLACE THROUGH
THE GRANT OF
PAROLE,CONDITIONAL
PARDON, PROBATION IS BY
ITSELF A DIVERSION
PROCESS
COMMUNITY
CONVICTION