Antonio Caballero

FBI Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, also called FBI, is a
government agency of the United States that has the function to
support law through the investigation of violations of criminal
law. Its mission is to protect the country of any type of terrorist
attack and combat corruption in public services at all levels. The
FBI logo is known worldwide (See Figure 1). The purpose of this
technical description is to inform you about how the FBI works.
In this technical description, you will learn the process of FBI
investigations. You will know the steps the FBI takes. For
example: new words as arraignment, adjunction, pretrial
services, etc. Check it out!

Figure 1: FBI Logo

Crime:
If a person did something against the law, the FBI will undertake an investigation to
recognize whether the act committed was a federal crime or not. During the investigation, it
must take into account two important things:

Not every crime is a federal offense. Federal offense is a crime that has been declared
illegal by the federal US law. 1 Some examples of federal crimes include kidnapping,
tax evasion, forgery of documents, immigration offenses, etc.

Not every federal organization is responsible for investigating every crime. For
example, the Secret Service is responsible for investigating counterfeiting of currency,
and the FBI is the lead federal agency for terrorism cases and corruption in public
services.

Entered into system:

If the committed crime is a federal offense in the area of the FBI, agents must apply for a
search warrant from a magistrate (or judge) to search for a particular site, and thus obtain the
documents of the suspect and innocent as part of the investigation. A grand jury is an
impartial body of citizens drawn from the community that has the responsibility to investigate
whether a crime has been committed and by whom. 1 The grand jury has the power to detain
anyone suspected of crime.
Prosecution and pretrial services:
When agents have captured the suspect, the court must inform the detainee of the charges
against him and advise of the rights to counsel and to remain silent. Depending on the level of
the crime, the defendant may be released at the initial appearance. However, if the offense
committed by him or her is seen as a great danger to the community, the accused should
remain in custody until the trial ends and the judge handed down the sentence or sanction.
Adjudication:
The award begins with the arraignment. Arraignment is the stage where the the defendant
formally is told what the charges are and is given a copy of them. 1 The criminal must
Footnotes:
1

A Brief Description of the Federal Criminal Justice Process, The FBI Federal
Bureau of Investigation, July 01, 2016, https://www.fbi.gov/statsservices/victim_assistance/a-brief-description-of-the-federal-criminal-justiceprocess

answer the arraignment if he (or she) is guilty or innocent. Usually, if the accused and his
lawyer have already negotiated with the prosecutor, the defendant may plead guilty to the
charge as part of the agreement with the prosecutor. However, if the accused pleads not
guilty, he must present evidence and witnesses to prove his innocence.
Sentencing and Sanctions:
After having presented the respective evidence, the judge decides whether the crime warrants
a sentencing or sanctions, depending if the person committed a misdemeanor or a felony.
Typically, sanctions can range from $500 to pay more depending on the misdemeanor that the
criminal commit. Rarely, the sanction of a misdemeanor is 1 to 2 years in prison. However,
the sentencing of a felony is from 5 to 10 years in prison. If the criminal has killed a certain
number of people, the sentence can increase his years in prison, even get the death penalty.
Corrections:
After sentencing, the criminal can appeal his conviction as a last resort to reduce his years in
prison. He can ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. If the Supreme Court decides
not to review the case, the judgment is now final.
Public Awareness:
With this technical description I hope you understand about the FBI process during the
investigation of a crime. With this information you can avoid federal problems and become
interested in the world of criminology. You can also use this information to help determine
your choice for a public office. You can do this by comparing a current election candidate and
how theyre related to the FBI. Knowing about the FBI and how they work, can help you
make better decisions.