The criminal trial process has many components
The criminal trial process has many components. In this assignment, you explore real-life examples of the criminal trial process in two different types of trials.
Search the Internet for trials using parameters such as but not limited to “watch criminal trials online,” or visit the Wild About Trial website. Or use trials that you are familiar with due to being in the news.
Compare two criminal trials that occurred in the United States. A trial is a case that, after arrest, had a judge and jury decide the outcome. There was testimony and a final verdict by the jury. If possible, compare a murder trial with one involving another major felony. Include the parties represented in each trial (i.e., victim and defendant) by name. Who was the prosecutor? Who was the defense attorney? Etc.
CAUTIONS: 1. This is a class in criminal courts in the United States. Make sure your cases are both criminal cases that were tried in the United States.
2. These cases you use must involve criminal charges and that the cases went all the way to trial and a verdict. No plea bargaining, no arrests that have not yet gone to trial, no civil cases. (Using these types of cases are the biggest mistakes I see in this assignment.) If you have to write, “the defendant pled guilty” then the case is no good.
3. A trial is what happens from the time a group of citizens is brought into the courtroom to begin jury selection and goes through the jury returning with a verdict. That is all this paper is concerned about. Discuss the facts only for a better understanding of what happened during the trial.
4. These cases must deal with an actual criminal trial that occurred in the United States and that had a jury render a verdict of either guilty or not guilty. Please do not select a case that you find was a miscarriage of justice just so you can express your outrage. The paper is concerned only with the facts of what happened during the trial and to help teach you about the workings of a trial.
5. Please refer to Chapter 13 for the steps in a trial. It is from this list you are to describe what happened in your trials.
6. If you have any questions or concerns about the cases you want to use, ask me first. If you want, please run your choices by me before beginning. Points will be deducted for trials that do not meet these requirements.
Write 350- to 700-word comparison in which you:
Summarize what each trial was about.
Identify the type of court the trials were held in (refer to Ch. 1 for types of courts in the United States).
Describe as many of the steps of each trial as you can (refer to Ch. 13 for the steps/process).
Explain the similarities and differences between the two trials you selected.
Identify as many of the actors of each trial as you can who play a role in the steps of the trial process. What were their roles?
Cite in the body of the paper a minimum of 2 sources (one source for each trial) for each piece of information you learn from an outside source, whether or not you used a quotation.
