Speedy Trial

1656 Words7 Pages
According to the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution it reads: “In all Criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy trial with an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crimes shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in is favor, and to have counsel for his defense.” (The Sixth Amendment, 2008-2013, p. para 3) A criminal trial is a chance for both sides to present their case to the jurors---the prosecuting attorney maintains its case by proving the defendants “guilt,” while the defense…show more content…
During opening statements no witnesses are called on to testify, evidence of any type will not be presented at this time.. The government has the “burden of proof” to the guilt of the suspect, therefore his statement is the first heard. Under normal circumstance the prosecutions statement lasts longer as it is more in detail therefore he/she speaks first. There have been times when the defense will wait until the conclusion of the prosecutions main case before giving their opening statement. Regardless of when the opening statements are made the prosecution walks the jury through the case through the prosecutions perspective of what…show more content…
Once the jurors have received the instructions from the judge, as a group they think through the case, which is he jury known as “deliberation” This is when the jurors make an effort in finding the suspect guilty or not guilty of the acts executed. Every juror must take part in the attaining the verdict. This being the first time the jury has been permitted to talk over the case. This process can last from a few hours to several weeks---when the verdict is reached the foreperson notifies the judge with a signed form, who in turn reveals the verdict in open court (Zalman, 2011).To find a suspect either “guilty” or “not guilty: it has to be a unanimous vote. If the jurors cannot get a unanimous vote in some states it is known as a “hung jury,” with the consequences being a “mistrial” whereas the prosecution might set a new court date and go thru the process again from the beginning (Zalman, 2011). It is normally up to the prosecution if they want to prosecute

More about Speedy Trial

Open Document