NCJ Number
168928
Date Published
1993
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This overview of the courts focuses on the functions of court personnel (judges, prosecutors, and defense counsel) and the court's involvement in probation and parole.
Abstract
The section on judges includes a review of the impact of the Warren Supreme Court on police procedures, the function of sentencing guidelines, the use of a court computer tracking system, court rulings on the admissibility of DNA evidence, and the selection of judges. The section that discusses prosecutors focuses on the power and discretion of prosecutors and the use of plea bargaining. The section on defense and defense counsel addresses the significance of financial resources in determining the outcome of a defense, including defense appeals; rich defendants are more likely to gain acquittals than poor defendants, and the latter constitute most of the defendants who are processed by the courts. A discussion of the role of legislatures in criminal justice considers the flaws in the current emphasis on punitive measures as the primary means of countering crime and the need to base legislation on research findings regarding policies that are most effective in reducing criminal behavior. A review of the nature of probation and parole is followed by a description of "occasional players" in the court system; these include the American Civil Liberties Union, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, minority groups, and investigative committees.