Voir dire

750-1,000 words in which you describe the procedural steps in a criminal trial. An evolution has established the current the state of criminal trials. There exists, on both the State and federal level, a mostly standardized set of procedures. In this set of standardized procedures, a typical trial would be inclusive of beginning with the selection of trial type, a middle that would discuss evidentiary issues, and end; sentencing. The following paper will discuss the parts of a criminal trial.…

Innocence for the Guilty When America was in the process of becoming a country, one of the main focuses of their new government was avoiding the tyranny that came with the system of ruling being that of a monarchy. The most notable way this new nation veered from the British path was by creating a democratic republic in which elected officials represented the will of the people. By no longer vesting power in one ruler who could serve until his death, other branches of the government had to be…

The fact that it was the first real life courtroom drama to be aired for live TV made it a history making event. It also sparked a growing awareness of domestic violence and the dangers that all women face when the abuse goes unreported (Alter, 2014). The prosecution might have painted OJ as a predatory criminal but the media did not paint him as such although for the most part the media had to believe with all the overwhelming amounts of evidence that he actually was guilty. The media kept the…

The two major differences between a civil ligation and a criminal litigation are the way the first approach is taken to begin the procedure of litigation and the processes leading up to and to the moment of a trial. They both generally follow the same guidelines but there are many key differences that will play out. In a criminal litigation, an arrest of a suspect is made where law-enforcement sees probable cause and then the complaint is filed by the prosecuting attorney if there is found to…

Heather Reinders (ID 0228852): - Assignment One: French Songs After reading the assignment requirements, I was originally unsure of how to tackle such an open-ended assignment; with no specific goals posted I decided to create my own. A large part of why I want to learn to speak French isn’t just because we are a bilingual nation or because it will increase employment prospects after University; it was to start to learn and appreciate French culture. Growing up in the Guelph area we were never…

The criminal justice system involves many different departments and agencies that work together to punish offenders and protect the public. There are numerous steps involved before an accused ordered to be tried in a court. The majority of criminal proceedings in Canada are open to the public and can take days or months to reach a verdict. In the Canadian criminal courts, the accused has the right to be tried impartially and also the guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The accused is…

Differences In Adult and Juvenile Court The United States has a unique judicial system when it comes to the youth of the country. When someone below the age of eighteen commits a crime he or she is not held to the same standards as that of an adult in the country. The United States believes that the youth of the country can be helped if they commit a crime. They believe that if a member of society that is younger than the age of a legal adult, eighteen commits a crime then he or she can be…

I have always heard good things about the film “My Cousin Vinny”, but never got around to watching it. The film follows the experiences of two young men mistaken for murderers in fictional Beechum County, Alabama. When the boys, Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Mitchell Whitfield), discover that they weren’t being held for theft of a tuna can, but instead for murder, they anxiously call their families for help. The family employs Bill’s cousin, Vinny (Joe Peschi), a New York…

Sentencing Instructions At the conclusion of the penalty phase, jurors are instructed by the judge on how to determine the existence of aggravating and/or mitigating factors, as well Sources of Bias and Arbitrariness 117 learned from the judge’s instructions)? Jurors do rather well in understanding the criteria of proof for aggravating factors, as the criteria of proof fit with their expectations (Luginbuhl, 1992) Luginbuhl said revised instructions should put the life-or-death decision in…

succo / Pixabay The American legal system has long depended upon the lowly juror to effectuate justice within its system. The juror is the fact-finder in most civil criminal matters in a court of law in the United States. The juror decides which set of presented facts represents the best truth, and how to mete out justice based on those findings. And although we do not think about it often, as a fact-finder, the juror is pivotal in protecting society from abuse by corporate and governmental…