This paper acknowledges that public order versus individual rights is not a new
controversy and how, since time immemorial,
governments and
individual citizens have had to walk a thin tightrope between the two ideals. It looks at how this
controversy was the catalyst that sparked the first ten amendments of the Constitution that we know as the Bill of Rights and how, in addition to these rights secured by America's forefathers, a number of organizations have arisen to ensure the protection of individual rights in an increasingly complex world. In order to add balance to this equation, this paper contends that the criminal justice system should focus on dealing with public order.