Originally I started off as a prosecutor in the city where I live. A prosecutor is an attorney that is elected to conduct criminal proceedings on behalf of the state or the people against those who committed criminal offenses (Siegel, Schmalleger, and Worrall, 2014, p.194). After doing that for 12 years, I decided to run for district attorney and I was elected. A district attorney is on a county level, meaning its where common law felonies and misdemeanors are handled. The district attorney is the chief prosecutor charged with bringing criminal cases to trial (Siegel, Schmalleger, and Worrall, 2014, p.197). A case just made headlines in the media outlets that a terror plot is being made against the city I live in. The local police arrested two men of Arabic …show more content…
I felt their tactics to get those men to confess was outrageous. They simply made it look as if it was discrimination involved. Because they were of Arabic descent, and they had seen them drive by the city’s elementary schools and linger there on a number of occasions. In law enforcement, we cannot discriminate on anyone based on their race, religion, or sex. Yes, the men were suspicious and they had weapons and pornography in their homes, let us question them and get them on what is against the law. Let's give them the opportunity to get a lawyer, and we go to trial. According to Siegel, Schmalleger, and Worrall (2014), "criminal justice has an increasing concern with accountability. Prosecutors adopt strategies that improve conviction rates, minimize dismissals, and speed up the time to judgment to ensure that offenders are held accountable for their actions". (p. 204) The best thing to do in this case is to listen to both parties, even though the evidence is incriminating we have to protect ourselves as well to not call the wrong judgment call. I also will not treat this case lightly, because these men have some serious charges they are facing, I want to do everything in my power to ensure our city is
Therapeutic jurisprudence is the study of the law in conjunction with the emotional and psychological welfare of those who come in contact with the legal and justice system. This report, in conjunction with the cases below, intends to show that therapeutic jurisprudence has a focus on the law as a social force that has the potential to enhance or inhibit therapeutic outcomes. In V’s case, therapeutic jurisprudence aided the defendant by giving him an option to rehabilitate instead of further compounding his financial circumstances if the magistrate were to fine him multiple times for future offences. Furthermore, in H’s case, the defendant was given a more lenient sentence, educating him about the consequences of his actions.
In the video “The Confessions” presented by Frontline, a murder of a women that was committed by one man, quickly resulted into a false gang murder-rape scene committed by eight men. The victim, Michelle Bosko, was seen to be raped and killed in her apartment in Norfolk, Virginia. From the video, it has been proven that seven out of the eight men that confessed were innocent, but somehow they all received an unequal punishment. Because the innocent men admitted to a murder that they didn’t commit out of fear, they were all sentenced to some time in prison. The head detective, Glenn Ford, intimidated the men so much that they either were convinced that they were at the crime scene or they told him every detail that he wanted to hear.
Judicial precedent refers to the sources of law where past decisions made by judges create law for future judges to follow. An example would be the Donoghue vs Stevenson case, where Stevenson had bought ginger beer, and Donoghue had drank it after their been a decomposed snail in it, however their was no charge because she was not in a contract with
The case comes down to this fundamental question: What is the role of the police in protecting the rights of the accused, as guaranteed by the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution? The Supreme Court of the United States had made previous attempts to deal with these issues. The Court had already ruled that the Fifth Amendment protected individuals from being forced to confess. They had also held that persons accused of serious crimes have a fundamental right to an attorney, even if they cannot afford one. (Supreme Court)
Having to undergo criminal investigation or court trial can become a very horrible experience for you, especially if you do not have any idea of the criminal offenses you have committed. In this situation, you will need the legal assistance of an experienced Utah Criminal Defense Attorney to defend you throughout the court proceedings, as well as provide emotional support to you.
1. The issue is whether public school officials have the authority to perform strip searches of students in suspicion of hiding illegal drugs.
Have you ever wondered how police officers know who to arrest for a crime? Well in order to catch criminals, evidence and witnesses must be gathered. Those who perform these tasks are known as detectives. Detectives are also known as criminal investigators. I have always liked solving mysteries and, that is exactly what detectives or criminal investigators do. I was inspired to pursue this career by the television series “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”. I watch this series a lot and, the show gave me a televised perception of what the career might be like. There are many risks when considering becoming a detective. However, the benefits and end results outweigh the risks and disadvantages of becoming a detective.
When a crime is committed against another person, then justice must be served to those who committed the crime. In some cases the crimes involve sexual attacks on grown adults while some offenses are against minors. In these examples the underling connection is the committed crimes of sexual abuse or sexual assault on adults and minors. When these crimes are brought before the justice system they are processed and the convicted are given a sentence to carry out but sometimes those sentences may not provide efficient time to produce the required outcome of correcting the individual or may be determined that there is no fixing the convicted disorder. The United States Supreme Court decision to hold a mentally ill, sexually dangerous
The two basic types of courts in the United States are trial courts and appellate courts. These two types of courts have two entirely different functions. The job of a trial courts is to determine questions of fact. Appeals courts, on the other hand, must determine questions of law. Appellate courts have the right to overrule jury verdicts and judges decisions due to the fact that an appellate court typically concerns itself solely with issues of law. An appeal is not the time to retry the case or to reargue the facts. In civil matters, either party can appeal the decision of the trial court. Usually in criminal matters, however, only the defendant may appeal a criminal conviction and the state is not
In the American Criminal Justice System, there are four key attributes in the role of the prosecutor. There are discretion, resource dependence, sequential tasks, and filtering. The prosecutors are lawyers that are accountable for presenting criminal cases in trial. The United States Attorneys are pointed by state or government, and represent the federal government in courts. They prosecute all adults who commit felonies and juveniles who commit delinquent crimes. Conjointly, the prosecutors have further responsibilities, such as legal adviser of the country commissioners, the Board of Elections, and written admonition of the prosecutors.
The due process and crime control models, both created by Stanford University law professor Herbert Packer, represents two opposing method of principles functioning within criminal justice system. Although the models describe the important facets of the politics and practice of criminal justice, both have been criticized since presented by Packer in 1964. Presently both models are acknowledged as imperfect standards to explain the politics and law of criminal justice. The crime control ideal represents traditional principles, whereas the due process belief reflects moderate values; therefore generating conflict evident throughout the years. This paper discusses models, crime control and due process, and how each affects the criminal
Criminal procedures are safeguards against the indiscriminate application of criminal laws and the wanton treatment of suspected criminals. Specifically, they are designed to enforce the constitutional rights of criminal suspects and defendants, beginning with initial police contact and continuing through arrest, investigation, trial, sentencing, and appeals. The main constitutional provisions regarding criminal procedure can be found in Amendments IV, V, VI, and XIV to the U.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court for the first time began to extend the protections guaranteed in the Bill of Rights to exercises of power by state and local governments.
In this essay we will discuss the process of legal research, writing, and analysis. The subject matter will be presented in a clear, concise and objective manner. The textbook that we will be referencing is "Gilbert Law Summaries: Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis" 10th ed, BarBri Group, 2006.
Judicial elections, a process virtually unheard of in any other modern-day democracy, is the most popular method of selecting judges in the United States. The elections are either partisan, requiring the candidates to secure an endorsement by a political party; non-partisan, requiring no political endorsements for the candidates; or retention, requiring appointed judges to face reelection to retain their seats after some time on the bench. Judicial elections were established in the nineteenth century to balance public accountability and political independence of the judges. And, with the settlement of most large-scale controversies ranging from: gun control to desegregation inside courthouses, the process of selecting judges
The career I have chosen is to become a lawyer, in either a private practice or firm, or for the government. The definition of a lawyer is an advocate or advisor in society, that is as an advocate, to represent one of the opposing parties in a criminal or civil trial, and as an advisor to counsel clients as to their legal rights and suggest courses of action. But that is not all a lawyer is about. Being a lawyer takes hard work, dedication, and many years in school.