criminal-justice
UK[ˈkrɪmɪnəl ˈdʒʌstɪs]US[ˈkrɪmɪnəl ˈdʒʌstɪs]
n
The system of law enforcement, involving police, lawyers, courts, and corrections, which is directly concerned with the apprehension, prosecution, defense, trial, and punishment of those suspected or convicted of criminal offenses.
Morpheme Breakdown
criminal
justice
criminal
relating to crime
justice
fairness in law
Etymology
The compound term 'criminal justice' is a modern legal and sociological construct, combining two concepts with deep Latin origins. 'Criminal' derives from the Latin crimen, meaning judgment, accusation, or offense, which itself may originate from a root meaning 'to sift' or 'decide'. 'Justice' comes from Latin iustitia, the abstract noun for righteousness and fairness, built on ius (law, right). The literal combination, "justice pertaining to crime," reflects the system's purpose: to apply societal principles of law, fairness, and order to matters of accusation, guilt, and punishment. The term thus logically encapsulates the entire procedural framework from allegation to resolution, aiming to balance the state's power to punish with the individual's right to fair treatment.
Analysis
Structure: criminal (relating to crime) + justice (fairness in law)
criminal: From Latin crimin- (accusation, charge, crime). Functional role: Adjective used attributively to specify the type of justice.
justice: From Latin iustitia (righteousness, equity), from iustus (just). Functional role: Noun forming the core concept of the compound.
Examples
She is pursuing a degree in criminal justice with the goal of becoming a prosecutor.
Reforms to the criminal justice system aim to reduce racial disparities in sentencing.
The study examined the impact of mental health services within the criminal justice process.