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Understanding Reversible Error in Criminal Appeals

NCJ Number
124210
Author(s)
J A Chapper; R A Hanson
Date Published
1989
Length
50 pages
Annotation
Appeals are the vehicle by which appellate courts supervise the trial process, however little attention has been paid to the outcomes of first-level appeals courts.
Abstract
This project examined criminal appeals in five courts -- the California Court of Appeal, Third District, in Sacramento; the Colorado Court of Appeals; the Appellate Court of Illinois, Fourth District, in Springfield; the Maryland Court of Special Appeals; and the Rhode Island Supreme Court. This project provides the only comparative data set on the outcomes of first-level criminal appeals. The examination of both the composition and the character of criminal appeals and the nature of error reveals many cross-court similarities that had not been thought to exist before. Courts across the country can draw on this methodology to develop their own systems for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data on the outcomes of appeals. Other issue areas for possible future research include broadening the current five-court examination of criminal reversals, examining the effectiveness of indigent defense representation at the appellate level, and investigating sentencing issues on appeal. 12 tables, 23 notes, 25 references.