Puerto Rico Criminal Justice

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As a republic, Puerto Rico has a government that exercises political control over its citizens. As with any republic, a social contract exists between government and citizens in which citizens give up certain freedoms in order to enjoy the protection and comforts that a functioning government can provide. As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico shares our three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. Focusing on the judicial branch, one must look at the criminal justice system, which consists of policing, courts and corrections.

Criminal justice is a system comprised of government institutions and practices that serve to provide social control through deterrence, sanctions and rehabilitation. In Puerto Rico, a Bill of Rights exists within their Constitution that protects individual freedoms if a citizen is accused of a crime. These protections mitigate any abuse of power by government personnel in the investigation and/or prosecution of a criminal offense. In regards to criminal proceedings citizens of Puerto Rico share the rights of U.S. citizens. There are four amendments in our Bill of Rights that deal directly with criminal prosecution that directly correlates with Sections from Article II of the Puerto Rico Constitution.

The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” ("Taiwan Civil Government") In Puerto Rico, Section ten, Article II this same protection is afforded to...

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... meeting these ends.

Works Cited

"Bill of Rights in US Overseas Territories." Taiwan Civil Government. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar

2012. .

Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 1952. Web. 5 Mar 2012.

Dasovich, Syble. "The Criminal Justice System in Puerto Rico." Article Directory. N.p., n.d.

Web. 6 Mar 2012. rico.html>. "Puerto Rico Police." Wikipedia. N.p., 19 Feb 2012. Web. 5 Mar 2012.

.

"The Pretrial Process." CliffNotes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar 2012.

10065,articleId-10002.html>.

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