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Katherine's detention was unlawful since her freedom was stolen without a proper recheck by the
police. It is important for law enforcement to be aware of the possibility of identical twins, stolen
identities, and even persons with similar last names. I get that the police checked the IDs, but Katherine's
sister should have showed up right away, not a few days later. When Katherine said there was a mix-up
with her identification, the police should have checked to be sure they had the right person. As a matter
of basic fairness, I believe the police officer should have checked Katherine's sister's fingerprints and
picture against any records they may have on hand. A more thorough investigation on the part of the
officer would have prevented Katherine's arrest and instead resulted in her being taken in for
fingerprinting. When law enforcement authorities have a firm grasp on the Constitution as it was
originally conceived by our nation's Founding Fathers, they are less likely to make gaffes like the one
committed in Katherine's case. The authorities can better protect the rights of the people and follow
constitutional rules for the criminal justice system because of the bill of rights and the constitution. Bill
of Rights provisions, rather than the efforts of private organizations and people, place limits on
government (Hendrix, 2013, p.89). This implies that prosecutors and police officers are constrained in
their interactions with ordinary persons. According to Fischer's analysis of the Bible's teachings on
government and crime, we are to establish our authority via the agreement of the governed and uphold
law and order in accordance with the Constitution, as outlined in Deuteronomy (Fischer, 2016).
Therefore, it is crucial that those who work in criminal justice grasp the law, not just so that they can do
their jobs, but also because God has commanded them to.
REFERENCES
Nick Hendrix and John J. Inciardi (2013). Try out the criminal justice system firsthand (custom ed.). The
McGraw-Hill Company, Inc., a bespoke publishing firm, is located in Columbus, Ohio.
That's a great point, K. Fischer (2016). Constitutional Law and Criminal Procedure According to the Bible
(powerpoint slides). Retrieved from (https://prezi.com/rdo7e91mruov/biblical-principles/?utm
campaign=share&utm medium=copy#)
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Katherine's arrest on the facially lawful warrant was unconstitutional, in my opinion, since she was
wrongfully detained and not released despite the fact that the police had made a mistake while
processing her first booking. Due to the fact that her name appeared on the warrant, but the pictures on
the licenses did not match, and because the officer should have noticed the discrepancy between the
licenses when her sister was stopped, but didn't because he didn't pursue the possibility of mistaken
identity any further, she was wrongly arrested. The three days it took them to realize they were wrong
were excessive given that the mistake should never have been committed. Since they simply checked the
number and the name on the driver's license without also checking the photo, I would argue that this is
a violation of her constitutional rights. Criminal justice authorities need to know the Constitution as it
was conceived by our Founding Fathers so that they don't make the same errors that occurred in this
case.
Discussion Forum 1
Understanding the Constitution is critical for anyone working in the Criminal Justice System, in my
opinion. The United States and its criminal justice system are guided by the Bill of Rights and the
Constitution. We, the people, have certain rights guaranteed to us by the Bill of Rights, an essential part
of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights is important because it places constraints on the government,
rather than on private citizens or organizations (Hendrix, 2015, 89). Officials in the American criminal
justice system need to know their limits and how they should behave in order to effectively serve the
public. They should be aware that they are tasked with safeguarding the rights to free expression, to
keep and carry weapons, and to prevent the government from using private property to house troops.
We need to utilize a constitution and govern by consensus, as even Fischer acknowledged
(Deuteronomy) (Fischer, 2015, slide 15). The word of God and the laws of our nation are binding on us as
law enforcement officers.
