Criminal Justice System

What is the difference between a state trooper, state police, sheriff, college campus police officer, game warden, and a correctional officer?
State trooper – The role of the Patrol Division Troopers is law enforcement on rural roads in Texas. They perform such duties as arresting traffic offenders, investigating the cause of accidents, recovering vehicles that are stolen, and to step in to assist other officers in the cause of law enforcement in emergency situations. The troopers also facilitate the populace with education on traffic safety and how to prevent crime. They are also in charge of the security at Austin State Capitol Complex. The state troopers are also mandated to enforce laws relating to registration of vehicles that conduct commercial activity.
State police –the police are in service for the government
Sherriff – A sheriff has powers to enforce the laws across the county. This group of leaders in the police service is also responsible for ensuring that the courtrooms remain secure. They are in charge of the same in jails. They are the ones that serve the populace with such documents as subpoenas and notices for eviction whenever necessary.
College campus police officer -The Police Department of the University are expected to provide security for the university fraternity and ensure that there is a safe environment for the institution to carry out its activities. They patrol, both on foot other means, conduct criminal investigations, conduct activities aimed at promoting cohesion in the community, coordinate parking services, control traffic and prevent crime.
Game Warden – Game Wardens in Texas serve the citizens through the provision of law enforcement, safety of water, and general safety as they conserve and act as custodians of the natural resources belonging to the state.
Correctional officer – a correctional officer speaks for the police. They are in charge of the welfare and safety of those under incarceration. They are the ones that stop violent confrontations among prisoners, maintain order, and work to rehabilitate prisoners.
Who is the chief of police in Denton, Corinth, Gainesville, Lewisville, Dallas, Plano, and NCTC? Please do not depend solely on the internet to answer this question. The information may not be updated. (List the department the chief beside it).
Denton : Frank Dixon
NCTC : Nicole Shaw (Interim)
Corinth : Mike Alexander (Interim)
Gainesville : Captain Tony Jones
Plano : Gregory W Rushin
Dallas : Reneé Hall
Lewisville - Kevin Deaver
When was the North Central Texas College Police Department established?
NCTC was formally put up on 20th of May 1924(“About us,” 2018).
You are to interview one Police Officer?
An interview with a Texas state police officer
Q: For how long have you worked for the police department?
A: Two years
Q: How were you trained to become an officer?
A: I began as a 911 dispatcher. I answered emergency calls and interacted with other officers on duty. I worked as a dispatcher for six years. I received my criminal justice Associates degree from Johnson & Wales University.
Indeed for anyone to become a police officer, they must undergo the academy training. The training was amazing as it was also hard. It is then that I learnt lots of details about my new career, yet it was more like an induction.
Q:  What do you like best about your job?
A: serving as a police officer means that you wake up to a new thing almost every day. The freedom of being allowed to operate without anyone breathing down your neck all the time, provides me with a feeling of freedom. I would hate to be stuck in a room with seniors directing every move and decision I make.
Q: What do you not like about your job?
A: I’m not fond of working overnight since I often feel that I don’t get sufficient sleep. By default, I’m obliged to hang in there as a new recruit. I will have to wait until I’m assigned a better shift. I understand that law enforcement has to continue throughout the day and night.
Q:  Describe your typical day on the job.
A: When there isn’t an urgent activity, I routinely conduct patrol around my designated area. I check on strip malls, gas stations and the like, to ensure that they are safe and that no one is breaking into them. I’m also called in to handle calls relating to domestic disputes which happen to be more prevalent at night. There are also OIUs and suspicious autos.
When the sun begins to rise, I do the rounds one more time to make sure that the situation in my designated area is still calm, safe and secure. Once in a while, there are those who call in to complain about the noise of the neighbor’s backing dog.
Q:  What traits do you feel are necessary to be successful as a police officer?
A: Honesty and diligence are essential. One must also be ready for deployment at any time. You must be ready for virtually anything any time. One must also control their emotions. Dealing with horrific scenes, stressed people and accidents is part of police work, and we handle them quite frequently. It is best when one has mastered the skill of staying calm in a stormy situation. It helps one to think straight and make better decisions.
Q:  Would you recommend this career to someone else?
A: In my view, law enforcement is a great career for anyone with zeal to serve their community. I find it highly rewarding at personal level. I also think it is one of the best jobs because one never really gets bored. One never really knows what they are up to for the day when they leave their residence to go to work.
Q: What is your next career move, if any?
A: I plan to still work as an officer for some time, and proceed to become a member of the Highway Patrol, or work as a supervisor where I am.
Corrections
When was Texas Department of Criminal Justice established?
The Texas State Penitentiary was established in 1989: although the Act that allowed its establishment was passed way back in 1848
What is the name of the unit in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice that is responsible for making license plates and decals?
The Texas Correctional Industries
What unit houses death row men?
The Polunsky Unit
What unit house death row women?
The Mountain View Unit
What unit is used to carry out executions?
Huntsville (“Death Row Information” N.D.)
How many people were executed in the state of Texas in 2016?
Seven people were put to death in the state of Texas through execution in 2016(Houle, 2016)
How many have been executed in 2017?
In 2017, the state of Texas executed seven people: just like in 2016. It is the lowest number of executions in twenty years (Houle, 2017)
Discuss in five or more sentences four rehabilitation programs available in The Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Each facility must be discussed in g or more sentences. (2 for men facilities and 2 for women facilities)
Men facilities
i. Sex Offender Education Program (SOEP)
The program is a four month curriculum course to help sex offenders inclined to pose a lower risk of offending again, or those that may be released with a condition of long term supervision; in which they may undergo treatment. The curriculum is carried out didactically. It provides information on a wide range of topics including Anger, Healthy Sexuality, Stress Management Cognitive Restructuring and Interpersonal Relationships. The program is designed to offer the necessary information that some offenders may not have been privy to or for the purpose of causing the desired behavior change in them through shifting their thinking patterns.
ii. Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative Program (SVORI)
The SVORI program consists of 63 beds. It is housed in the Estelle Unit. The program provides programming for in-cell and pre-release male offenders being removed from administrative segregation. Offenders may be included in the program resulting from an F1-7R Board of Pardons and Parole voting. One may also be selected on criteria for eligibility. The program tackles the major recidivism causes. It also addresses anger management, abuse of substances, life skills and employment. The parole stipulation SVORI offenders may take part in a care continuum via a parole district reentry (DRC)
Facilities for Women
i. BAMBI: the Baby and Mother Bonding Initiative
The program gives female offenders with children, an opportunity to bond with their offspring in a healthy and secure setting. Child development education is given to the offender. In addition, they are also presented with information on life skills, CPR and first aid for infants, peer recovery, anger management, nutrition, reunifying family and cognitive skills. More programming initiatives may include training on how to prevent or avoid substance abuse, and classes on GED. The program has a mission to offer healthy growth and development, psychological health, and healthy socialization in the formative years of the infant, in a safe and secured surrounding.
TREATMENT AND LIFE SKILLS TRAINING
This is a program lasting for 6 months which was launched at the Marlin Transfer facility which aids women in training them about skills for life and treatment just before they get back to the society. This is program for for re-entry preparation which helps inmates measure and establish their life skills while looking into the reasons which made them get behind bars. The program covers the following: getting a place to live, job interviews, arrangements for living, job applications, household management, planning for budget, hygiene and more.
The Executive Director in the criminal justice department in Texas
It is Bryan Collier
The Sheriff, the Chief Deputy Sheriff in Dallas, Cooke County and Denton
Denton
Sheriff- Tracy Murphree
She has an experience in all areas of Law Enforcement with an experience of over 30 years. She retired from Texas DPS in the year 2011. She spent 13 of the 23 years in DPS working as a ranger in Texas, investigating big cases like Homicides. In January 2015, she became Business Development-Law Enforcement in Paladin. In 2016, she was appointed to be the Sheriff of Denton County Texas.
Chief Deputy Sheriff - Wayne Rhodes
Since 1995, Chief Deputy Rhodes served the county of Denton. He then began his career in law enforcement in the County Sheriff's Office and joined Denton County Constable Precinct 2 office in 1998.
Dallas (Marian Brown & Lupe Garza)
Marian Brown
In 1988, she began her career in law enforcement with the Duncanville in Texas. She then became the first African American female police officer. She then escalated from a patrol officer to a Chief Deputy Sheriff.
Lupe Garza
She has 30 years of experience and service in law enforcement. She is the overseer in the administration office and internal operations at the sheriff’s office
Cooke County (Terry Gilbert & Brandon Buttram)
Sheriff Terry Gilbert
She has an experience of 34 years in Law Enforcement. She served as the elected constable of precinct 1 for 8 years, 9 years as reserve deputy constable and 14 years as a sheriff in Cooke county and serving currently as the County Sheriff.
Brandon Buttram
He came to the office of the Sheriff with an experience of more than 12 years experience in Law Enforcement.
References
“About Us,” North Central Texas College, (2018). Retrieved from http://www.nctc.edu/about-us/index.html on 30 November 2018
“Death Row Information.” Texas Department of Criminal Jusctice, (N.D.). Retrieved from http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/death_row/dr_facts.html on 30 November 2018
“Supreme Court.” Texas Judicial Branch, (2018). Retrieved from http://www.txcourts.gov/supreme/about-the-court/ on 30 November 2018
Burress, C. (2018). Researching Texas Law: Cases. Texas A&M University, School of Law.
Cole, G. F., Smith, C. E., & DeJong, C. (2018). The American system of criminal justice. Cengage Learning.
Houle, K. (2016). Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2016: The Year in Review. Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
Houle, K. (2017). Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2017: The Year in Review. Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
Keneally, M. (2018, Oct. 9). Meet all of the sitting Supreme Court justices ahead of the new term. ABC News. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/meet-sitting-supreme-court-justices/story?id=37229761 on 30 November 2018
Lax, J. R. (2003). Certiorari and Compliance in the Judicial Hierarchy: Discretion, Reputation and the Rule of Four. Journal of Theoretical Politics, 15(1), 61-86.