Reference

Professions

Roles across justice and public safety: what each is responsible for, what it can decide, what constrains that authority, and who reviews it.

Public-service work in this field carries real responsibility, real constraint, and real pressure. It is also work that holds authority over other people, which is why every role below is described alongside the limits on that authority and the bodies that review it. Both belong in the same description.

There are deliberately no pay figures, staffing levels, attrition rates, or entry requirements on these pages. Those are country-specific and time-sensitive, and they are the most common site of invented detail in writing about these roles. They will appear on country pages, with a jurisdiction and a dated official source, or not at all.

Roles

Law Enforcement

Patrol officer: What does a patrol officer actually do?; The uniformed officer who attends incidents, maintains public order, and is usually the first point of contact between the public and the justice system.

Courts

Judge: What does a judge do, and how can a judge be accountable and independent at once?; The official who decides cases by applying law to established facts, gives reasons for the decision, and determines consequences within limits set by law.

Prosecution

Prosecutor: What does a prosecutor decide, and on whose behalf?; The public official who decides whether a criminal case is brought, on what charges, and who presents it in court on behalf of the public.

Defence

Defence lawyer: What is a defence lawyer, and who decides who may be one?; The legally admitted professional who acts for a person facing a criminal case — constituted in some systems as an organ of the administration of justice rather than as a private service provider.

Investigations

Detective / investigator: What does a detective do, and who supervises the work?; An officer or official responsible for establishing what happened in a reported offence and gathering evidence capable of being tested in court.

Forensics

Forensic scientist: What does a forensic scientist do, and how reliable are the findings?; A specialist who examines material and reports findings for use in legal proceedings, stating what the findings establish and what they do not.

Corrections

Corrections officer: What does a corrections officer do?; The officer responsible for the safety, security, and lawful treatment of people held in custody, and for the daily operation of a place of detention.

Public Safety

Emergency dispatcher: What does an emergency dispatcher do?; The person who answers an emergency call, works out what is happening and who should go, and passes on what responders need — a decision taken before anyone has seen the incident.