In Courtroom Work Groups the defendant are already presumed to be guilty and the rest of the group work together to come to an agreement on the sentencing rather than to actually serve justice. The judge has overall control of the courtroom and the workgroup. The judge is responsible for keeping the order and deciding guilt or innocents of the accused. The courtroom workgroup interacts daily in many ways. It is the responsibility of the judge to oversee all that goes on within the courtroom and ensure that rights are not violated as well as rule on each case that is put before them.
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.
The Courtroom and the Courthouse In a United States courtroom, there are many participants who contribute to the goal of justice for all. The judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, defendant, victim, witnesses, jurors, bailiff, and court reporter are each participants in the courtroom workgroup. Although every participant plays a different role in the process, they each contribute to the courts general objective of ensuring that the legal system remains fair, efficient, and effective to those individuals accused of committing a crime. A judge’s role is essential to court proceedings. He or she is responsible for ensuring the court proceedings are legal, and that the defendant receives his or her rights to due process of law.
Criminal Law Foundations Evaluation Robert G. Skelton CJA 484 01/12/2014 Nicholas Barbella Abstract Laws were written to protect society from the criminal element, to protect the rights of the individual accused and to keep law enforcement in check to prevent an abuse of power. The subject of this paper focuses on evaluating and identifying the Constitutional safeguards within the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendments of the United States Constitution. It will also explain how these safeguards of the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendment will apply to juvenile and adult court proceedings. Finally, this paper will focus on the impact that these safeguards, such as speedy trial, Miranda warning, exclusionary rule, and right to counsel have on the day-to-day operation for juvenile and adult courts. Criminal Law Foundations Evaluation If laws were not in place, individuals could not hold onto their individual properties.
It is their duties to ensure public safety and maintain order. Secondly, are the Courts, which sentences criminals based on evidence gathered by the Police and Lawyers. Thirdly, are Correctional Institutions, which detains or rehabilitates criminals. The graphic illustration below outlines the Criminal Justice System and its key components: Police The first component is the police, which serve as the gate keepers for the Criminal Justice System. The term police originated from the “Latin word politia” which means civil administrations’’.
The role of a prosecuting attorney is to review all evidence against a person or party and build a case against the person(s). A prosecutor is typically in charge of bringing criminal charges against a person(s) and presenting their evidence to a court to assure a conviction. They work directly for the district attorneys office of a jurisdiction and are responsible for presenting the state’s case against the defendant. The prosecuting attorney is the primary representative of the people by virtue of the belief that violations of the criminal law are an affront to the public. The prosecutor pairs up with the law enforcement officers that are gathering the evidence and then they see if they have enough evidence to continue with the case.
Unless the government is able to prove the existence of these elements, it can't obtain a conviction in a court of law. The due process model is a model of the criminal justice system that stresses that every criminal justice conclusion is built on scrupulous information. Due process stresses the adversarial process, the rights of defendant and the rights of the formal decision-making procedure. It is vital to realize that courts allow individuals to defend themselves based on entrapment, self-defense or insanity. These, however, must be proved appropriately to allow courts practice fairness in defenses.
Police interact with the private lives of citizens on a daily basis. The main operational function of the police is the protection of life and property, maintaining social order, investigating crime and preventing it. The job of a police officer consists of many duties to include being a mediator, a counselor and community organizer. The ultimate goal is to provide quality and professional service that is effective and efficient to prevent crime (Walker & Katz, 2008). Police Departments and federal government agencies are similar in organizational structure and administrative style.
“Under this system, the parties to a case develop and present their arguments, gather and submit evidence, call and question witnesses, and generally control the information presented according to the law and legal process.” (U.S. Legal, 2011) Court cases involve a plaintiff and a defendant. In a criminal case the plaintiff is typically the state of the people, and the defendant is the person accused of committing the crime in question. The state is represented by a prosecutor, or district attorney. The defendant is represented by a defense
Police are government officials in charge of regulating and controlling affairs within the community. Police are designed to regulate, control, or keep order with or as if with a law enforcement agency. The functions of the police are to enforce the law, investigate crimes, apprehend criminals, maintain public order, prevent and reduce crime, and ensure community safety. The prosecutorial phase is perhaps the most critical stage of the criminal justice process, as it is at this point that many of the rights of an alleged offender and crime victim are brought into play. The offender's rights in the court proceedings include: The right to have legal representation.