When a Citizen Goes to Court
(1) Citizens play an active role in the court process. Begin your response by identifying at least two different ways that citizens interact with the court process and explaining these roles. List two different ways that citizens interact with the court process and explain these roles. Next, compare and contrast the roles you selected with respect to their interactions with court personnel during the court hearing process.
There are many ways citizens play an active role in the court hearing process. One of the ways involves being a victim of a crime as a result of some unlawful action committed directly against the citizen. Chamerlin and Thomas (2012), suggests that unlawful action may involve a violation of some municipal code or ordinance, a violation of some state statute or a violation of some federal statute. Another situation whereby citizens could find themselves in court is if they were the perpetrator who themselves commit a criminal violation against another …show more content…
According to Friedrichs (2014), the defendant does not have to testify, and may be advised not to do so. Nonetheless, some defendants decline to take their counsel’s advice, and testify, despite being advised to the contrary. In addition, defendants can change their plea, and sometimes the prosecution will accept the plea to avoid a costly and lengthy trial after the trial begins. Usually, defendants would sit close to their counsel in court, but victims often may sit in the audience. According to Pollock (2012), when the trial is over, and during the sentencing phase, the defendant is allowed to speak directly to the victim and the family. Usually, this is when the defendant is contrite and offers a sincere apology to the victim and the family. Likewise, the victims are able to give a similar statement of how they and the family were impacted as a result of the crime that was
(1) Citizens play an active role in the court process. Begin your response by identifying at least two different ways that citizens interact with the court process and explaining these roles. List two different ways that citizens interact with the court process and explain these roles. Next, compare and contrast the roles you selected with respect to their interactions with court personnel during the court hearing process.
There are many ways citizens play an active role in the court hearing process. One of the ways involves being a victim of a crime as a result of some unlawful action committed directly against the citizen. Chamerlin and Thomas (2012), suggests that unlawful action may involve a violation of some municipal code or ordinance, a violation of some state statute or a violation of some federal statute. Another situation whereby citizens could find themselves in court is if they were the perpetrator who themselves commit a criminal violation against another …show more content…
According to Friedrichs (2014), the defendant does not have to testify, and may be advised not to do so. Nonetheless, some defendants decline to take their counsel’s advice, and testify, despite being advised to the contrary. In addition, defendants can change their plea, and sometimes the prosecution will accept the plea to avoid a costly and lengthy trial after the trial begins. Usually, defendants would sit close to their counsel in court, but victims often may sit in the audience. According to Pollock (2012), when the trial is over, and during the sentencing phase, the defendant is allowed to speak directly to the victim and the family. Usually, this is when the defendant is contrite and offers a sincere apology to the victim and the family. Likewise, the victims are able to give a similar statement of how they and the family were impacted as a result of the crime that was