Explain what discretion is and how it creates two different criminal justice systems. What will ...

Discretion is the ability of individuals to make operational decisions based on personal judgment instead of formal rules or official information. A formal criminal justice system is when participants follow formal rules to create smoothly functioning disposition of cases from arrest to punishment. There is little room for discretion in the formal criminal justice process. The informal criminal justice process recognizes the informal authority exercised by individuals at each step of the criminal justice process. This system lends itself to the use of discretion by those making the decisions.