Criminal Justice & Court Systems

Criminal Justice and Court Systems

2

Objectives

• To compare civil and criminal court

systems.

• To explore local, state and federal court

systems.

• To illustrate the progression of a case as it

moves through local, state and federal
jurisdictions.

• To analyze the impact Supreme Court

decisions have on criminal justice systems
including law enforcement.

3

Main Menu

Types of Court Systems

Progression of a Case

Supreme Court Decisions

Types of Court Systems

5

Court Systems

• Are put in place to settle disputes,

determine fault and administer justice
−for enforcing the law for public good

• Are created by governments through the

enactment of statutes (laws) or by
constitutional provisions

• Include criminal and civil

Multiple Choice

Court Systems are put into place to settle disputes?

• True

• False

Multiple Select

Court systems include what type of courts?

• Criminal

• Civil

• Pedestrian

6

Criminal Court Systems

• Involve the government bringing a suit

against a party who has allegedly
committed a crime
−the party accused of the crime is known as the

defendant

• Function to determine the guilt of the

accused (defendant)

Party: person or group of people comprising an entity (business,
organization, etc.)
Alleged: said to have taken place, but not proven

7

Criminal Court Systems

• Almost always allow for a trial by jury

−meaning a group of people selected from the

community decides the guilt of the defendant

• Provide defendants protections including:

−right to an attorney

• one is appointed if the defendant cannot afford

one

−protection against self-incrimination

• the defendant cannot be forced to testify

−right to require witnesses to testify

• only a few circumstances can excuse a

witness

8

Criminal Court Systems

• Include a heavy burden of proof, meaning

they require a large amount of proof
−guilt must be found “beyond a reasonable

doubt”

• the defendant’s guilt is the only logical

explanation which can be derived from the
facts

• May sentence the guilty to

imprisonment, probation,
monetary penalty or a
combination of these

9

Civil Court Systems

• Settle disputes between two or more

private parties
−the plaintiff is the party filing the lawsuit
−the defendant is the party being sued

• Function to determine liability of the

defendant for the injuries suffered by the
plaintiff
−injuries may be physical, emotional and/or

financial

Liability: legal responsibility

10

Civil Court Systems

• Allow for a jury trial in some cases, but

often are decided by a judge
−cases decided by a judge are known as bench

trials

• Do not afford the defendant all of the same

protections as in criminal cases

11

Civil Court Systems

• Require less proof than criminal court

systems
−“a preponderance of the evidence” meaning it

was more likely than not the events occurred
in a certain way

• May award monetary or equitable relief

−monetary relief is a cash award
−equitable relief requires the defendant to do or

not do something

12

Court Systems

• Include local, state and federal systems

−local court systems are governed by cities,

counties and other municipalities

−state court systems are run by state

governments

−federal court systems are controlled by the

federal government

13

Local Court Systems

• Are established, funded and operated by

local or county governments

• Vary by locality in terms of types and

structure

• May also be referred to as limited-

jurisdiction courts
−jurisdiction is limited to very specific subject

matter and people

Jurisdiction: legally defined area over which an agency has control or
authority

14

Local Court Systems

• Handle cases regarding local laws, for

example:
−traffic violations
−local ordinance violations
−small civil claims

• May also handle misdemeanor cases

regarding state laws
−minor offenses, less serious than felonies
−these may be appealed through state court

systems

15

State Court Systems

• Are established, funded and operated by

state governments

• Typically include:

−state Supreme Court
−state Court of Appeals
−state Circuit or District Courts
−courts for specific legal matters

• for example, probate court, juvenile court,

family court, etc.

16

State Court Systems

• Handle cases regarding state laws and

constitutions, for example:
−most criminal cases
−probate cases

• involving wills and estates

−most contract cases
−tort cases

• personal injuries

−family law

• marriages, divorces, adoptions, etc.

Dropdown

State Court Systems • Handle cases regarding state laws and

Select answer

​ , for example: – most ​

Select answer

– probate cases • involving wills and estates – most contract cases – tort cases • personal injuries – family law • marriages, divorces, adoptions, etc.

17

State Court Systems

• Also handle many cases involving federal

law or the U.S. Constitution
−however, these cases may be appealed

through federal court systems

Dropdown

​

Select answer

Court Systems • Also handle many cases involving ​

Select answer

law or the U.S. Constitution – however, these cases may be appealed through federal court systems

18

Federal Court Systems

• Are established, funded and operated by

the federal government

• Include:

−U.S. Supreme Court
−13 U.S. Court of Appeals
−94 U.S. District Courts
−U.S. Court of Claims
−U.S. Court of International Trade

Dropdown

Federal Court Systems • Are established, funded and operated by the federal government • Include: – U.S. Supreme Court – 13 U.S. Court of ​

Select answer

– 94 U.S. District Courts – U.S. Court of ​

Select answer

– U.S. Court of International Trade

19

Federal Court Systems

• Handle cases involving the following:

−federal laws and treaties
−ambassadors and public ministers
−disputes between states
−admiralty (maritime) law

• contracts, offenses, etc. taking place at sea

−bankruptcy law
−habeas corpus issues
−the constitutionality of a law

Habeas Corpus: court order requiring a person under arrest be brought
before a court or judge

Dropdown

Federal Court Systems • Handle cases involving the following: – federal laws and treaties – ​

Select answer

and public ministers – disputes between states – admiralty (maritime) law • contracts, offenses, etc. taking place at sea – bankruptcy law – habeas corpus issues – the constitutionality of a law Habeas Corpus- court order ​

Select answer

a person under arrest be brought before a court a judge​

20

Local, State & Federal Court

Systems

• Are tiered

−local courts are the lowest tier
−state courts are mid-tier
−federal courts are the highest tier

• Interact in the following ways:

−lower courts must recognize the laws and

decisions of higher courts

−a lower court’s decision may be appealed to a

higher court

• meaning the defendant asks the higher court

to review the case for errors, violations, etc.

Dropdown

Local, State & Federal Court Systems • Are tiered – ​

Select answer

courts are the lowest tier – state courts are mid-tier – federal courts are the highest tier • Interact in the following ways: –​

Select answer

courts must recognize the laws and decisions of higher courts – a lower court’s decision may be appealed to a higher court • meaning the defendant asks the higher court to review the case for errors, violations, etc

Multiple Choice

Which of the following accurately describes a bench trial? A. A trial decided by a group of community members B. A trial decided by a judge

• Trial decided by a group of community members

• Trial decided by a judge

Multiple Choice

Which type of court system functions to determine the liability of the defendant?

• Criminal court systems

• Civil Court Systems

Multiple Choice

The legally defined area over which an agency has control is known as which of the following?

• Jurisdiction

• Verdict

Multiple Choice

Family law (such as divorces and adoptions) is handled by which type of court?

• Federal Courts

• Local Courts

• State Courts

Multiple Choice

Bankruptcy law is handled by which type of court?

• Local

• State

• Federal