Four Models of the Criminal Process

Ever since Herbert Packer published "Two Models of the Criminal Process" in 1964, much thinking about criminal justice has been influenced by the construction of models.Models provide a useful way to cope with the complexity of the criminal process.They allow details to be simplified and common themes and trends to be highlighted."As in the physical and social sciences, [models present] a hypothetical but coherent scheme for testing the evidence" produced by decisions made by thousands of actors in the criminal process every day. 2 Unlike the sciences, however, it is not possible or desirable to reduce the discretionary and humanistic systems of criminal justice to a single truth.Multiple models are helpful because "multiple versions of what is going on,