Preview

Eight Stages in a Criminal Trial

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
456 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Eight Stages in a Criminal Trial
There are eight stages in a Criminal Trial, the trial initiation, jury selection, openings statements, presentation of evidence, closing arguments, judge’s charge to the jury, jury deliberations and the verdict. In this essay I will focus on the jury selection stage. A criminal petit jury is very important in a trial. The jury is responsible for deciding whether a defendant committed the crime as charged. In a criminal trial there are usually 12 members in a jury. The jury selection is conducted by both the prosecution and the defense attorneys.
An examination process called voir dire is performed on each potential juror, to ensure any unbiased or preconceived notions of guilt or innocence doesn’t exist. Any person desiring or summoned by a judge to sit on the panel must meet certain qualifications. An individual must be 18 years of age, be a citizen, live in the judicial area for one year, and speak English, no mental or physical conditions or any felony charges. Certain people are excused from juror duty; armed forces, professional fire, police and public officers. The Jury Act will excuse a person from jury duty on the grounds of undue hardship or an extreme inconvenience.
In Florida the case of Casey Anthony vs. The State of Florida, the jury selection was difficult. The problem with this case is that the media made a big mess of the information released. Many people saw, read or heard about the case, potentially causing them to be unbiased or perceiving a notion to whether Casey was guilty or innocent. The charges and details of the evidence were released to the public. Due to the nature of this case it was titled as a high profile case. Casey Anthony’s name was all over the country; I remember during the time of the trial, the only thing on television was something about her case. There were pictures of her daughter, family and personal life. A lot of suspected evidence was shared with the public as well as information about where evidence

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    1) The media comes up with their own ideas on the case and sways everyone else's opinion and half of the information stated is false. The media should not play a role in the legal system and it should be left to the court. I don't think we should tell the media as much as we do because they tend to sway opinions.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The sixth step is jury deliberations and verdict. This step is to remind the jurors of the laws. Each juror is to decide if the defendant is guilty or not guilty on each charge. There may be only one charge, but there can be more. If there is five charges against the defendant then the jurors have to decide if the defendant is guilty or not guilty on each charge. They all have to explain why or why not they feel the defendant is guilty on each charge.…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Casey Anthony Case Study

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Battaglia, Nicholas A. "The Casey Anthony Trial And Wrongful Exonerations: How "Trial By Media" Cases Diminish Public Confidence In The Criminal Justice System." Albany Law Review 75.3 (2012): 1579-1611. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever heard of the court system acquitting someone that the public unanimously believed was guilty? Casey Anthony was a young mother who appeared outwardly to be a promiscuous woman who was living life with a rough childhood behind her. She appeared like a normal young person, trying to find herself, until she was accused of the murder of her two-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony. An abundance of evidence, holes in her story, and the lack of concern in Anthony’s attitude lead the world to undoubtedly point fingers at her.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A petit or trial jury is a group of jurors who hear testimony from both sides during a criminal trial proceeding. The petit jury's purpose is either to convict or acquit a defendant of criminal charges. A petit jury consists of six-to-twelve jurors. The petit jury must convict or acquit. A petit jury trial is open to the public. A petit jury trial can have as many attendees as the court room can hold. Most petit juries consist of jurors who are selected to participate in one single trial, which often lasts less than ten days. Even high-profile cases last a few months at most, and after that, the jurors have completed their service.…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    To serve on a jury you have to be 18 years or older, be able to speak English, be able to read and write in the English language, be mentality sound, and some felony convictions. (Mulvaney, M. D., & Little Jr., J. A. 2015). In order to get on a jury panel, the prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, and judge start the dismissal process. Jurors can be excused from the jury panel by way of challenges. There are two challenges, challenges for cause and preemptory. In order to remove a juror for cause all parties must agree that the juror may be excused based on the existing court rules. Some jurors may have a hardship or family emergency that may prevent them from serving; this would qualify under the court rules as a reason for dismissal for cause.…

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The trial process is one of the most important parts of the criminal justice system. The part where the person accused of committing a crime is either cleared or held accountable for his or her actions. There are several people whose job is to make sure that the process runs smoothly.…

    • 1288 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Facing a criminal charge can be frightening and intimidating and that is when you need a legal representative that is experienced and knowledgeable on your side. Here at our office you will find experience and knowledge that will help deal with charges such as: murder, domestic violence, theft, kidnapping and hit and run accidents.…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In jury trials, the lawyers begin each case with the process of selecting the jurors. In theory, these jurors are supposed to be representative of the larger community, much like a good, random sample in an experiment. The lawyers are allowed to question each juror, in an attempt to remove any individuals who might possess personal bias against either side. Once again, theoretically, this seems like a pragmatic approach for justice. However, it should be obvious, by the mere fact that there is a whole career field for psychologists as jury selection advisors, that some sort of abuse is occurring within the process. Perhaps more than any other area of Psychology, the Social realm emphasizes the vulnerability of the human mind to outside influences. Add to this natural predisposition in susceptibility of thought the persuasive appeal of an authority figure like a lawyer and it is seems highly probable that some sort of effect will manifest itself in the jurors' decisions.…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jury Stereotypes

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In normal cases, jurors are asked to stay away from the media and to avoid anything outside of the information that they are given that could sway their vote. However, as previously stated, in a case with so much public attention, it is nearly impossible to prevent jurors from gaining outside information. Researchers argue that any type of public information given to jurors may be “dangerous” (Kassin, Wrightsman cited in Greene 1990: 440) to said case and could leave a “lasting impression on jurors” (Snyder cited in…

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the trial, both the prosecutor and the defense attorney will present evidence and testimony. The jury containing 12 members of society chosen to reach a verdict will listen to and evaluate evidence and testimony to determine an outcome. When the trial takes place, the courtroom is generally open to any citizen wishing to visit. Friends, family and members of the press cannot be barred from a courtroom trial.…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Does notoriety affect the outcome of a criminal court proceeding? A trial’s outcome should not be based on the notoriety of it, yet it is. Due to media coverage, the length of the trial, and the notoriety of the people who committed the crime, the outcome of the trial is affected. The Manson trials and the trial of Leopold and Loeb are two prime example of how notoriety can affect a criminal court proceeding. An analysis of two criminal court proceedings, the Manson trial and the trial of Leopold and Loeb, reveals that notoriety does affect criminal court proceedings. Even though criminal court proceedings should be based on unbiased information and evidence, overall, the notoriety of the case impacts it.…

    • 1467 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the investigation stage evidence is collected from the scene of the crime. In the warrant stage the judge issues a warrant for the police officer to make an arrest it also covers the police officer from any damages. In the arrest stage an arrest is made to either an adult or a juvenile and they are taken into custody. In the booking stage there are photos taken, fingerprints are taken, and other personal information about the person who was arrested. In the first appearance stage they are notified of the charges, told their rights, given the opportunity to retain a lawyer or have one appointed to them. In the preliminary hearing stage this occurs before a judge, allows the defense to assess the strength of prosecution's case. In the information/indictment stage a formal written accusation is submitted to the court from the prosecutor. In the arraignment stage a hearing before the court having jurisdiction in a criminal case in which the identity of the defendant is established, said defendant is informed of the charges against him or her, the defendant is informed of his/her rights and requested to enter a plea bargain. In the adjudication stage examination of the issues of fact and law for the purpose of reaching a judgement of conviction…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Jury Selection

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Jury selection are various methods used to decide who will be on the jury. The jury pool is initially chosen from among the community utilizing a random strategy. Jury records are gathered from voter enlistments and driver permit/state id. From these records, some people are mailed. They will be addressed in court by the judge and/or lawyers in the U.S. According to Shari Seidman, in some cases such as capital punishment, the jury must be death qualified. Jury procedures are taught in law institutions to law students. The jury chose is said to have been empanaled.…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many may think that by watching tv shows like, Judge Judy, are an easy way to learn how the court system works. However, there is much information that can be gained from serving on a jury. For example, there are two types of trials, criminal and civil. A criminal trial is a trial held when an individual has been accused of committing a crime that is against society. A jury held in a criminal case is made up of 12 people who work together to make a unanimous decision of “guilty or not guilty” and the government must prove that the crime was committed “beyond a reasonable doubt.” A civil trial jury is a jury made up of at least six people who come up with a decision based on proof that is “more true than not.” There are also three different types of juries. A grand jury, a petit jury, and a civil jury. Needless to say, it is actually the jury that makes a decision rather than the…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics