Law enforcement refers to any given system whereby individual members of the society perform their responsibilities in a systematized way in an attempt of putting into practice the provisions of law by deterring, discovering, punishing as well as rehabilitating people who infringe the rules and regulations that guide that particular society. Every society, community, administrative jurisdiction is a characterized by the law enforcement agencies that are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the stipulated regulations are strictly adhered to. The enforcement also sets and determines the legal parameters within which every law should be exercised. It also involves the interpretation of the same laws to particular individuals to which they apply. It is the sole responsibility of the respective citizens to read the contents of a given law and adhere to it or be ready to face punitive measures in case they violate the same law. The law enforcement practice is entirely interrelated to several components such as courts, i nstitution-Based Corrections, community-Based Corrections like the parole/probation as well as private Security. Each of these components is related law enforcement in a particular way.
Courts
A court is a judicial institution, which is charged with the responsibility of interpreting the given laws, making the ruling in case disputes as well as determining the type of punishment a violator of law is entitled to. When one violates the law, the police intercept and apprehends the lawbreaker before the court of law. In this situation, though, the suspect how would have been the law breaker is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The same court that should prosecute or acquit the law breaker usually lines up witnesses who have the onus of proof on which the magistrates or judges base their rulings. If fully convinced by the testimony of the provided evidence before the court, the judge labels charges against the wrongdoer in which a particular punishment is also determined ( Lewis & TPS Publishing, 2016 ). The punishment usually ranges between a jail term also referred to as sentence, the house arrest or being fined to a tune of a certain amount of money. In a nutshell, courts often follow due process in law enforcement and in most cases these processes are severe. Jail terms, for instance, are characterized by confinement of the inmate away from the rest of the society members and are denied much of the freedom and privileges that they would otherwise enjoy while moving freely outside. Sometimes, the inmates are also given corporeal punishment or if unfortunate executed depending on the nature and the magnitude of the offense.
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Institution-Based Corrections
Institution-based corrections are another component that deals with law enforcement. These entail regulations that are stipulated by a respective institution such as those meant for learning, commercial and recreative, among others. These institutions maintain law and order through the rules that only apply to that particular entity. The institutions also spell clearly the penal code just in case of outright violations of the written rules. Some of the punishments entail suspension from the institutions for a specific duration, corporal punishment, manual work, expulsion or summary dismissal for major offenses. In this case, the institution denies the responsibility of the member while outside the area of jurisdiction. This condition implies that those mistakes or offenses committed by members of the given institutions but outside the entity can comfortably be dealt with by the civil society involving the courts ( Oxburgh, 2016 ). Sometimes, the institution may also refer certain offenses such as murder, physical confrontations, burglary and forgery among other to the judiciary for prosecution. This means that every institution is cognizant of the extent to which its powers go regarding enforcing the required laws.
Community-Based Corrections (Parole/Probation)
Every community, just like an independent institution has its structured way of dealing with lawbreakers. Some communities have a system of administration headed by chiefs, emperors, monarchs of the council of elders. These officials are charged with the responsibility of enforcing the law in their respective areas of jurisdiction. Each authority is therefore also responsible for determining the type of punitive measure required to be accorded to any offender, according to the laid down regulations and the customs of the community. Some of the community-based punishments include corporal punishment, manual work, excommunication from the community, and mere reprimanding, among others. As stated earlier, every authority as well administers every punishment in agreement with the parameters determined by the higher authorities. This implies that there are certain offenses, which the authority cannot handle but would instead refer the criminal to a higher authority.
Private Security
Finally, law enforcement can also be implemented by private security. This entails the regulations set and enforced by the guards or security detail of a particular individual, the corporate entity of firm. These entities as well have their distinct regulations that govern their operations and relationships with other people such as clients, neighbors, and visitors among others. The private security often takes responsibility for administering some form of punishment to all the people who violate their regulations, especially while in their area of jurisdiction or when handling their personal property. In most cases, private securities base their accusations to the terms and conditions applicable in whichever situation ( United States, Malaysia, & United States, 2016 ). It is also expected that at least, the offender may have been aware of these restrictive terms and if not, then he or she would be accused on the ground of ignorance, which is not defense. More often that, the private security is required to report the violations to the relevant authorities for further punitive measures, but they do not bear full responsibility to prosecute or punish.
CONCLUSION
Law enforcement is a tricky aspect of administration in as much it is associated with various segments of government. Every component of law enforcement is required to comprehend its mandate in particular situation to avoid extra-judicial punitive measures against the law breakers. A nation can manage the law enforcement by having clear regulations in each component and the corresponding penal code well disseminated to the entire society. This practice will avert cases where law breakers find themselves facing accusations that are typically anonymous to them.
References
Lewis, M., & TPS Publishing. (2016). Law enforcement . [Valencia, CA]: TPS Publishing.
Oxburgh, G. (2016). Communication in investigative and legal contexts: Integrated approaches from forensic psychology, linguistics and law enforcement . Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.
United States., Malaysia, & United States. (2016). Law enforcement: Cooperation: agreement between the United States of America and Malaysia signed at Kuala Lumpur, November 19, 2015 .
