The role of the Clerk of Court is to maintain records of criminal cases, which includes keeping track of papers, organizing papers, and keeping tabs on the decisions, and orders of the judge. Along with maintaining the court schedule, the clerk also prepares the jury pool, issues summons, and subpoena’s witnesses for the prosecution and defense attorneys. Finally, the clerk is responsible for marking and maintaining custody of physical evidence (Meyer & Grant,
In other crimes different that this, a plea bargain may be a viable option but in this particular case its not. A Plea bargain is when the suspect pleas guilty to a lesser charge in order to lower its punishment. The next steps are the pre-trial activities and the pre-liminary hearing is the next steps leading up to the trial. These two steps explain to the suspect and his attorney the evidence and the charges. If enough evidence is present a trail will be in act.
They let them know if there is enough information and evidence to charge a suspect with the crime. They also determine what charges will be filed against the offender, interview witnesses, review search warrants, and subpoena witnesses. In preparation for trial should a plea bargain not be offered or accepted. When and if the case goes to trial, they represent the government in pretrial hearings and motion procedures, enter into plea-bargain negotiations with the defendant and his or her counsel. The prosecutor will try the actual case, make sentence recommendations, upon the defendant being found guilty, and represent the government in appellate court, should an appeal be filed.
Jury Trial Analysis Paper Introduction Today juries are important part in the criminal justice system and in our court rooms. They deliver a fair and a reasonable verdict in each case to the court. There are several methods within the jury selection which can be used to choose people to serve as a juror. The citizens provide great feedback to their community and it also gives back as well. What is a jury Trial A jury trial is when someone has been charged with criminal offenses but they also have that constitutional right to a trial by jury as well.
Prosecution versus Defense Sherri Porter Introduction to Criminal Court System December 4, 2011 Stephen Slaughter Axia College of University of Phoenix Prosecution versus Defense Two very important roles in the criminal justice system are the defense and the prosecution. Holding the criminals accountable for their actions, and proving they were the ones who did it are the prosecutions responsibility. The defense is in charge of making sure the person accused of the criminal offense is proven innocent of the criminal act they are being charged for. The defense also makes sure the accused gets a speedy trial. The prosecution’s job starts the minute they are informed about the criminal act the person is being accused of.
During the preliminary hearing, a magistrate will determine if a crime had been committed, if the crime committed occurred in the court’s jurisdiction, and if there is probable cause to believe the person committed the crime(s). If the magistrate does not find probable cause then the case will be dismissed. After the facts are heard from both the persecution and defense, the magistrate determines if the person will be allowed to leave the court on his own recognizance or if the subject will be held in custody until the arraignment. The defendant makes their first appearance in the courtroom during the arraignment. In this process, the defendant enters their plea of either guilty, not guilty, or no contest.
A District Attorney is a public official who acts as prosecutor for the state or the federal government in court in a particular district (Hill 2005). A DA is involved in both the investigative and prosecutorial stage of interaction with a criminal defendant. Their role is to investigate the crimes the defendant has allegedly committed and deciding to file criminal charges or bring forth evidence that may lead to an indictment for a
I observed the police prosecutors consulting the defendants’ legal agent on many occasions discussing alternatives to a prison sentence and what the prosecutors felt was fair in way of punishment for this defendant. The bench clerk is the person appointed to assist the Magistrate in the court
173 Reflective Journal. Week 1: Aims of the criminal Justice system This week was essentially an introductory topic and provided me with a basic understanding of the aims and operations of the criminal justice system. I learned that there is a number of different steps within the criminal justice system and the involvement of all the parties involved such as police, judge and jury and the defence. According to John Champion the main purpose of the criminal justice system is to process and prosecute individuals who commit crimes against society and to deal out suitable punishments for these individuals. This is a pivotal part in terms of maintain the functioning of society and to ensure that people don’t go around breaking laws wherever and whenever they want.
As you can see due process has been put into place to protect the accused from the federal government. Our system is also set up to give the accused a fair trial – even when at first glance the accused seems guilty. Even people suspected of terrorism are given a fair chance in this country to explain themselves and prove their own innocence. As we navigate through these next several decades we as a society will have to decide how much freedom and bending of civil liberties will be allowed in order to feel secure as a