The Process of the Criminal Justice System Essay Sample

đź“ŚCategory: Crime, Criminal Justice, Law
đź“ŚWords: 439
đź“ŚPages: 2
đź“ŚPublished: 17 February 2022

The criminal justice system is arguably one of the most important systems within our society. To list them, they are trial initiation, jury selection, opening statements, presentation of evidence, closing arguments, the judge’s charge to the jury, jury deliberations, and finally the verdict. Every stage has importance and allows the system to flow. The first stage is trial initiation, which should occur not long after the accused has been charged, to ensure a speedy trial so the person’s constitutional right is not violated. Trial initiation helps to make sure people get trials as quickly as possible and aren’t held in jail.  

Next is jury selection, which comes with many obstacles as some people oppose the jury system. It is within this stage that the jury is chosen, but they face things like challenges to the array, challenges for cause, and peremptory challenges. Within jury selection it is made sure that jurors are unbiased, they can know some things about the case but those who have already formed an opinion will be excluded from the jury. There are many difficulties and controversies surrounding jury selection, such as the question if people who are opposed to the death penalty be allowed to serve on a jury. Race and jury selection are also an issue, such as whenever an all-white jury convicts a black man and discrimination can be proved, or whenever peremptory challenges are abused in order to achieve the jury they want. Next are the opening statements, which are both the defense and prosecution’s first statement. In this statement they outline what they intend to prove and describe how it will be offered to them. They should only mention evidence they believe can and will be presented. The fourth stage in a trial is arguably one of the most important is the presentation of evidence. They type of evidence presented can differ, but it makes up most of a trial. Both direct evidence, which proves a fact without the judge or jury making inferences, and circumstantial evidence which does require inferring, are important to the trial. There’s also real evidence, which is physical material or traces of physical activity. The judge evaluates it to see if it is allowed, such as if it is relevant enough to the trial and how useful it is. Witnesses are another essential part of this, with both sides being able to call witnesses and cross examine the others. Witnesses sometimes allow for direct encounters to be heard, or a look into the defense’s personality and life, or even professional witnesses who specialize in something related to the trial. 

Next are the closing arguments, which summarize the evidence and provide a review and analysis of it. It could be called a final attempt for the lawyers to try and win for their client, convince the jury completely with no doubts.

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