This topic contains a solution. Click here to go to the answer

Author Question: Should plea bargaining and courtroom cameras be kept or barred from our legal system? Why or why ... (Read 32 times)

awywial

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 577
Should plea bargaining and courtroom cameras be kept or barred from our legal system? Why or why not?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Which of the following is not a consequence of case delay?
 
  a. Lengthy pretrial incarceration
  b. Better prosecutor/defendant communication
  c. Jail overcrowding
  d. Denial of speedy trial



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
Marked as best answer by a Subject Expert

Bigfoot1984

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 321
Answer to Question 1

 Some people within the court system believe that plea bargaining reduces the courthouse to something akin to a bazaar, where people barter over price. They see it as justice on the cheap. Others believe that plea bargaining makes the job of the judge, prosecutor, and defense attorney much easier. Primary opposition to plea bargaining involves ideological preferences. Regardless of which side of the issue one supports, however, it is ironic that both police and civil libertarians oppose plea bargaining, but for different reasons. Police and others in the crime control camp view plea bargaining as undesirable because defendants can avoid conviction for crimes they actually committed while pleading to and receiving a sentence for lesser offenses. The police see victims at their worst and would much prefer to see the defendant convicted for the crime charged . Civil libertarians and supporters of the due process model oppose plea bargaining because, when agreeing to plead to a crime(s), the accused forfeits a long list of due process protections afforded under the Bill of Rights. Another concern is that an innocent defendant might be forced to enter a plea of guilty. Defendants who gain the most from plea bargaining are the less serious, marginal offenders in cases lacking evidence. By contrast, defendants in serious cases who have prior criminal histories do not benefit. In short, plea bargaining appears to reflect a rational rather than a coercive process.
 Opponents of cameras in courtincluding due process advocatescomplain that televising trials distorts the process by encouraging participants to play to the cameras, and that by covering only sensational trials and presenting only dramatic moments of testimony, television does not portray the trial process accurately. They argue that in celebrity cases even the witnesses exaggerate things to give themselves a bigger role . Supporters of the practice, conversely, maintain that televising trials has educational value, providing the public with a firsthand view of how courts operate. Indeed, studies have found that viewers of a television trial of moderate interest became more knowledgeable about the judicial process. The Supreme Court unanimously held that electronic media and still-photographic coverage of public judicial proceedings does not violate a defendant's right to a fair trial; states are therefore free to set their own guidelines.

Answer to Question 2

b





 

Did you know?

Coca-Cola originally used coca leaves and caffeine from the African kola nut. It was advertised as a therapeutic agent and "pickerupper." Eventually, its formulation was changed, and the coca leaves were removed because of the effects of regulation on cocaine-related products.

Did you know?

In 2012, nearly 24 milliion Americans, aged 12 and older, had abused an illicit drug, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Did you know?

More than 34,000 trademarked medication names and more than 10,000 generic medication names are in use in the United States.

Did you know?

Alzheimer's disease affects only about 10% of people older than 65 years of age. Most forms of decreased mental function and dementia are caused by disuse (letting the mind get lazy).

Did you know?

More than 4.4billion prescriptions were dispensed within the United States in 2016.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library