COURTS, CRIME AND CONTROVERSY

I.                   Courts are an important part of the criminal justice system
    A.           Three main components:
        1.                  police
        2.                  courts
        3.                  correction
    B.                             Interdependent criminal justice system
    C.                             Fragmented criminal justice non-system
    D.                            Federalism (power divided between states and federal government)    E.                             Tensions and conflicts between components and agencies 

II              Thousands of courthouses and a dual court system
    A.                               17,000 courthouses
    B.                               Dual court system (state and federal)
    C.                               Trial and appellate courts

III.            Prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges make up the criminal courthouse
    A.               Prosecutors
        1.                  independent and fragmented
        2.                  most powerful of major actors
    B.              Defense attorneys
        1.          most defendants indigent and attorneys paid for by government
        2.         few defendants hire their own private attorney
    C.            Judges
        1.         most state judges elected
        2.         federal judges nominated by President and approved by Senate
    D.           Defendants and victims
        1.         defendants and victims disproportionately poor and minority
        2.         victims now have rights and are seen as more important than before

 IV.           Steps in processing the typical felony case
    A.         Crime
    B.         Arrest
    C.         Initial Appearance
    D.        Bail
    E.         Preliminary hearing
    F.          Charging decision
    G.        Grand jury
    H.        Arraignment
    I.           Evidence
    J.          Plea negotiation
    K.        Trial Sentencing
    L.         Appeal

V.           The law on the books is only part of the explanation
    A.     Written law underlying process
    B.     Sources
        1.         Constitutions
            a.         U.S. Constitution is supreme
            b.         U.S. Supreme Court decisions thereon very important
        2.         Statutes
        3.         Administrative regulations

VI.       The law in action must also be understood
    A.                 Does not always follow law on books
    B.                 Must understand to see dynamics of court operations

VII.     Courts are involved in the controversy over what to do about crime
    A.                 Crime control model
        1.                  conservative model
        2.                  protecting public is primary goal
    B.                 Due process model
        1.                  liberal model
        2.                  rights of defendants are most important 

VIII.    The public has high expectations for the courts but also much misinformation
    A.                 Public expects law will solve all problems
    B.                 Media give misleading information about courts