Introduction

The court system in the United States is complex. Here, you will explore the complexities of the court system, and which courts have jurisdiction over different people and issues.

All resources that can be found in your textbook, Introduction to Criminal Justice Interactive eBook, will be preceded by the word Textbook (e.g., Textbook Journal or Textbook Video). These resources can be easily located in the Media Library at the beginning of each chapter in the textbook. You will also find them embedded in the text as you complete your reading assignments.

Textbook: Introduction to Criminal Justice Interactive eBook, Chapter 9

This chapter describes the structure and functions of courts at the federal, state, and trial court levels, with a focus on pretrial preparations, the process of the actual trial, the jury system, and examples of court technologies. After you review this resource, you should be able to answer the following questions:

What are the methods and purposes of the adversarial court system, and how is the court jurisdiction determined?
What is the purpose of the state and federal court systems, including the appeals court?
How is the trial processed from opening statements through conviction and appeal?

Make sure you watch these videos contained within your textbook resource:

Textbook Video: Author Video 9.1: Right to a Speedy Trial (4:34)
This video discusses courthouse violence briefly, then explores what the right to a speedy trial means in actuality, and how delaying a trial can work in favor of the defense.

Textbook Video: Student on the Street Video 9.1: Trial Versus Plea-Bargained Cases (3:22)
This video contains a series of short interviews for which you are asked to consider the following: What percentage of criminal court cases do you think go to trial, versus those that are plea-bargained?

Textbook: Introduction to Criminal Justice Interactive eBook, Chapter 10
This chapter explores the roles and functions of judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. It examines the process by which judges ascend to the bench, and reveals the benefits and problems that a judge might encounter. This chapter also discusses the need for courtroom civility, the potential for judicial misconduct, and the strategies of prosecutors and defense attorneys. After you review this resource, you should be able to answer the following questions:

What are the five methods of judicial selection, and why the subject of judicial selection has come under scrutiny?
Who are the six main actors that participate in the courtroom work group and describe the courtroom subculture
What are the major duties of prosecutors and defense attorneys and describe courtroom civility?

Make sure you watch these videos contained within your textbook resource:

Textbook Video: Student on the Street Video 10.2: Most Powerful Person in the Criminal Justice System (4:31)
This video contains a series of short interviews for which you are asked to consider the following: Only one person in the criminal justice system can decide whether or not to charge someone with committing a crime. This one person is the most powerful person in the criminal justice system. Who do you think this individual is?

Textbook Video: Author Video 10.1: Judges and Bias (3:17)
This video examines the issue of judges having biases, and how those biases impact sentencing. It also briefly touches on the topic of laws being created in an effort to curtail bias.

Textbook: Introduction to Criminal Justice Interactive eBook, Chapter 11 (pp. 274–283 and pp. 288–295)
This reading explores the purposes and goals of punishment. It also examines some of the models and methods of punishment, how they evolved, and how these models intersect with the concept of justice. After you review this resource, you should be able to answer the following questions:

What are the purposes and goals of punishment?
How do the purposes of punishment and the models of punishment relate to one another?
What influence does justice have on each of the purposes and models of punishment?Reading: 21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook, Chapter 74: Criminal Courts

This reading will expand your knowledge. It explores the importance and purpose of the U.S. criminal court system at both the federal and state levels. It also provides an explanation of how judges are elected or appointed, describes a variety of concerns within the court systems at both levels, and discusses how the system undergoes a constant process of review in order to maintain fairness and justice. After reviewing this resource, you should be able to answer the following questions:

What are the two primary functions of criminal courts in the United States?
What are the four levels of the federal court structure and the four basic levels of most state court structures?
What are some of the criticisms of the bail system?

Textbook Journal: 10.2: Morally Questionable Tactics: Negotiations Between District Attorneys and Public Defenders (pp. 731–735 and 739–742)
This journal article will expand your knowledge. It discusses the appropriateness of ethical and borderline-ethical negotiation tactics used by district attorneys and public defenders. After reviewing this resource, you should be able to answer the following questions: