Enforcing criminal laws to secure the rights of all inhabitants is perhaps the most fundamental function of a government. Unfortunately, the U.S. criminal justice system has become a conviction manufacturing machine divorced from the basic tenets of justice.
Over the past 40 years, federal criminal law has exploded in size and scope while deteriorating in quality. The Heritage Foundation is working to build an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity and civil society flourish.
The U.S. DOJ works to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.
The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is a federally funded resource offering justice and drug-related information to support research, policy and program development worldwide.
The U.S. Courts were created under Article III of the Constitution to administer justice fairly and impartially, within the jurisdiction established by the Constitution and Congress.
The Federal Judicial Center is the research and education agency of the judicial branch of the U.S. government. The Center supports the efficient, effective administration of justice and judicial independence.
The UCR Program's primary objective is to generate reliable information for use in law enforcement administration, operation, and management; over the years, however, the data have become one of the country’s leading social indicators.
To protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States, the FBI is an intelligence-driven agency that works to stay ahead of the threat through leadership, agility, and integration.
The BJS collects, analyzes and disseminates information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. These data are critical to federal, state and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring justice is efficient and evenhanded.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is an independent, statewide agency that provides assistance to the state's criminal justice system in the areas of criminal investigations, forensic laboratory services and computerized criminal justice information.
The DJJ serves the state's youthful offenders up to the age of 21, working diligently to effect justice as well as redirect and shape these young lives so they can take responsibility for their conduct and become contributing members of society.
The Georgia Department of Corrections protects the public by operating safe and secure facilities through the development of professional staff and effective offender management.
The CJCC financially and programmatically supports innovative programs and services to improve criminal justice and empower victims in the state of Georgia.
The State Board of Pardons and Paroles is constitutionally authorized to grant paroles, pardons, reprieves, remissions, commutations, and to restore civil and political rights.
Civil forfeiture laws pose some of the greatest threats to property rights in the nation today, too often making it easy and lucrative for law enforcement to take and keep property—regardless of the owner’s guilt or innocence.
The Council conducts comprehensive reviews of criminal laws and procedures, prison management, juvenile justice issues, and other matters relating to criminal proceedings and accountability of the courts.
The conservative approach to criminal justice: fighting crime, supporting victims, and protecting taxpayers.
You can lose your property and money, even if you haven't done anything wrong. Seizing profits from criminal activity is a centuries old practice, but better oversight is needed to determine whether civil asset forfeitures are properly applied to gains from actual illegal actions.
Today, many laws have no Mens Rea requirement covering the level of intent. It is important to consider intent when constructing future laws, and establish a default level of intent to apply to existing laws.
The solution to over-criminalization involves not only working to remove redundant and vague laws from the books, but ensuring that future laws are easily understood and well defined.
