Israel has a democratic parliamentary system based on three government branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. It is a centrally governed state. Consequently, the entire criminal justice system is based on a national division of legal regions. For this purpose the Nation is divided into six main districts. In each of these districts there is a District Court and a District State Attorney's office. The District State Attorney is responsible for the prosecution of felonies. In each region there are a number of magistrates' courts. Legally trained police officers are in charge of the prosecution of contraventions and misdemeanors. The legal system is adversarial. There is no jury, and all cases are decided by professional judges. The prosecution is generally the responsibility of the State Prosecutor's Office. The defendant may be represented by an attorney during all stages of the criminal process. This report has a section on crime that discusses the classification of crimes and crime statistics. A section on victims addresses the groups most victimized by crime, victims' assistance agencies, the role of victims in prosecution and sentencing, and victims' rights legislation. In profiling the police, a section focuses on administration, resources, technology, training and qualifications, discretion, and accountability. Other sections discuss prosecutorial and judicial process, the judicial system, penalties and sentencing, prisons, and extradition and treaties. 37 references
World Factbook of Criminal Justice Systems: Israel
NCJ Number
169642
Date Published
June 1993
Annotation
This report provides information and statistics on Israel's criminal justice system, including its police, courts, and corrections.
Abstract
Date Published: June 1, 1993