<P> Police are primarily concerned with keeping the peace and enforcing criminal law based on their particular mission and jurisdiction . Formed in 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began as an entity which could investigate and enforce specific federal laws as an investigative and "law enforcement agency" in the United States; this, however, has constituted only a small portion of overall policing activity . Policing has included an array of activities in different contexts, but the predominant ones are concerned with order maintenance and the provision of services . During modern times, such endeavors contribute toward fulfilling a shared mission among law enforcement organizations with respect to the traditional policing mission of deterring crime and maintaining societal order . </P> <P> The courts serve as the venue where disputes are then settled and justice is administered . With regard to criminal justice, there are a number of critical people in any court setting . These critical people are referred to as the courtroom work group and include both professional and non professional individuals . These include the judge, prosecutor, and the defense attorney . The judge, or magistrate, is a person, elected or appointed, who is knowledgeable in the law, and whose function is to objectively administer the legal proceedings and offer a final decision to dispose of a case . </P> <P> In the U.S. and in a growing number of nations, guilt or innocence (although in the U.S. a jury can never find a defendant "innocent" but rather "not guilty") is decided through the adversarial system . In this system, two parties will both offer their version of events and argue their case before the court (sometimes before a judge or panel of judges, sometimes before a jury). The case should be decided in favor of the party who offers the most sound and compelling arguments based on the law as applied to the facts of the case . </P> <P> The prosecutor, or district attorney, is a lawyer who brings charges against a person, persons or corporate entity . It is the prosecutor's duty to explain to the court what crime was committed and to detail what evidence has been found which incriminates the accused . The prosecutor should not be confused with a plaintiff or plaintiff's counsel . Although both serve the function of bringing a complaint before the court, the prosecutor is a servant of the state who makes accusations on behalf of the state in criminal proceedings, while the plaintiff is the complaining party in civil proceedings . </P>

What is considered to be the center of the u.s. justice system