NCJ Number
174574
Date Published
1998
Length
66 pages
Annotation
The court system is described in terms of the courts at different levels of jurisdiction; the role of the U.S. Supreme Court; recent developments such as drug courts; the nature of the adversary system; the roles of the prosecutor, the criminal defense attorney, and the judiciary; and efforts to deal with court congestion and delay.
Abstract
The discussion notes that the adversary system is designed not to discover the ultimate truth but to protect people against the abuse of government power and to ensure that innocent people are not found guilty of crimes they did not commit. Prosecutors have formidable powers and exert considerable influence on and in the criminal justice system. Defense attorneys include private attorneys, public defenders, assigned counsel, and contract attorneys. Judges are either elected or appointed and have formal powers that extend throughout the criminal court system from arrest to the final disposition. Figures, tables, photographs, excerpts from media articles, discussion and review questions, notes, case citations, list of government publications, and 24 references