Author Question: Cases in which courts make policy determinations usually involve government and the Fourteenth ... (Read 129 times)

rachel9 · **on:** Aug 25, 2018

Cases in which courts make policy determinations usually involve government and the Fourteenth Amendment.

Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Question 2

What are the possible consequences of delay in the courts, and what are some possible solutions to this problem?

What will be an ideal response?

Pswine · **Reply #1 on:** Aug 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

TRUE

Answer to Question 2

The consequences of delay can be severe. It can jeopardize the values and guarantees inherent in our justice system. Delay deprives defendants of their Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial. Lengthy pretrial incarceration pressures can cause a defendant to plead guilty. The reverse is also true: Delay can strengthen a defendant's bargaining position; prosecutors are more apt to accept pleas to a lesser charge when dockets are crowded. Delays cause pretrial detainees to clog the jails, police officers to appear in court on numerous occasions, and attorneys to spend unproductive time appearing on the same case.
The best-known legislation addressing the problem is the Speedy Trial Act of 1974, amended in 1979. It provides firm time limits: 30 days from the time of arrest to indictment, and 70 days from indictment to trial. Thus, federal prosecutors have a total of 100 days from the time of arrest until trial. This speedy trial law has proven effective over the years. A number of proposals have emerged to alleviate state and local courts' logjams, ranging from judicial jury selection and limits on criminal appeals to six-person juries.