Which is NOT one of the nine steps in the criminal justice process?

The nine steps in the criminal justice process typically include a series of stages that a case undergoes, from initial investigation to final resolution and beyond. These steps are crucial in understanding how criminal cases are handled within the justice system. Among these steps are booking, which involves the formal recording of an arrest; trial, where the accused is tried before a judge or jury; and corrections, which encompasses the management of convicted offenders, including incarceration and rehabilitation.

Mitigation, while important in the context of sentencing where it refers to the presentation of circumstances that may lessen the severity of a punishment, is not a formal step in the criminal justice process itself. It is rather an aspect considered during the sentencing phase after a conviction has occurred, rather than a procedural step that all cases must go through. Thus, it does not belong to the sequential steps that outline the criminal justice process.