After a crime has been committed, the justice system of the United States goes into action. The system has three major components that work together:

• Law enforcement agencies gather evidence and capture suspected perpetrators.
• The judicial system tries perpetrators in a court of law and, if they are found guilty, sentences them to a period of incarceration or some other form of punishment, restitution, and/or treatment.
• Correction agencies house convicted criminals in prisons, jails, treatment centers, or other places of confinement.

City, County, and State Law Enforcement

In 2002 the United States had 13,981 city, county, and state police agencies and nine major federal law enforcement agencies. As of October 31, 2002, there were 957,502 full-time law enforcement employees. Of the total, 665,555 were sworn police officers and civilian employees accounted for 291,947. Almost 90 percent of police officers...