When Brian was seven years old he moved with his mother and stepfather to Jersey.  As an introvert and anxious child he quickly became a target for bullying and by the time he was 14 his behaviour was such that no school would have him.

Instead of dropping out of education, Brian opted for Catering College and completed a full time two-year course. He continued to live in Jersey and got work in hotels and restaurants, however Brian developed a cannabis habit.  Brian was just 17 when he first received a prison sentence. He was sentenced to six months for offensive behaviour and property damage during an altercation with one of his neighbours when he shouted racist insults and broke the front porch fence.

Two years later at 19, he found himself sentenced again, this time for 6 months for theft after he stole a significant amount of money from the till of the burger restaurant he was working at.  

After a period of stable employment, trying to get his life back together, Brian relapsed and committed aggravated burglary again in one of his neighbour's house, whilst the neighbour was in the house, injuring him with a knife found at the kitchen, in an attempt to fund his now debilitating drugs habit. During the altercation with the neighbour, the victim claimed that Brian bit him on the arm as he was trying to flee the scene. On sentencing, he was given a two-year custodial sentence.

For the next 10 years Brian's nomadic life style was characterised by periods of employment, serious drug use and criminal activities such as fraud and theft to fund his addiction. One morning, two of his flatmates found him hanging by a piece of rope from the kitchen ceiling. The cause of death found by the inquest was death by hanging.

 

1. Explain the structure and stages of the criminal justice system and use this to illustrate how this case will progress through the stages.  Include reference to the key personnel in each (AC 1.1)
   1. Explain the structure of the Criminal Justice System.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

The criminal justice system typically consists of several stages each involving different key personnel While specific details may vary by jurisdictio... View the full answer