criminal justice exam 2
a Brady violation
A prosecutors concealment of evidence.
public defender
A salaried public office representing all indigent defendants Work hard in law school People want to be public defenders Represents 70 percent of all indigents Advantages Lawyers paid to represents indigents on ongoing basis will devote more time and effort More experience lawyers- both in criminal law and workgroup norms Continuity in defense of poor... being there for initial appearances, hearings, etc. Also, indigent defenders see commonalities across many cases that individual attorneys may not see A good attorney knows the law, a great attorney knows the judge
generalizability
A single case means all are going to be like this Case of philadelphia... sentences are harsher and therefore, outweigh "process punishments" lawyers do not consider or advise on pretrial costs
criminal defense attorneys are the lowest of the low because
they are representing individuals
key themes in TPP
"Open system" approach to courts Substantive rather than procedural justice The "process is the punishment" - importance of pretrial costs
diversion in pretrial model in practice
-Actually increases overall punishment level by increasing pretrial control -Defendants face less extensive/shorter sentences (even the minimum sentence) if just plead guilty
three types of indigent defense systems
1. assigned counsel 2. contract system 3. public defender- largest
two central challenges
1. defendant 2. system
Pretrial punishment model causes several shifts
1. from punishment after adjudication to punishment pretrial punishment 2. from judges sanctioning to prosecutors/police being responsible for meting out sanction 3. bondmen and defense attorneys participating in sanctioning (not advocacy) by affect how long someone is detained and how long the process will proceed
pretrial model in practice
Actually increases overall punishment level by increasing pretrial control Defendants face less extensive/shorter sentences (even the minimum sentence) if just plead guilty
assigned counsel
Attorneys appointed by judge on case by case bias From a list of available attorneys Used in 50 percent of US but serves less than a third of people Critiques Matching least qualified attorneys with indigents Assign from general bar without criminal expertise
contract system
Attorneys hired to provide services for a specified dollar amount Least prevalent of the systems Contract system involves bidding by private attorneys to represent all criminal defendants found indigent during term of contract. In return for fixed payment Benefits to government: caps costs on defende Critiques Contracts lead to lower representations Bidding emphasizes cost over equality Disengaging private bar Contract system unconstitutional in Arizona Assigned defense representation to lowest bidder, violated Fifth and Sixth Amendment Does not see difference between complex cases
court watching as accountability
Court watching offers the possibility of a deterrence-based program that incorporates the public as part of accountability for our criminal courts and the criminal justice system. would professionals act a different way with observers in there
trial or treatment advocacy
Criminal defense attorneys identify two distinct types of advocacy in a criminal defense Zealous trial advocacy Zealous treatment advocacy trial - addresses legal needs of the client Treatment - addresses the rehabilitative needs of the clients and the social challenges the client faces
strategies of court watching
Evaluate the level of professionalism in the courtroom Focus on management, temperament Evaluate nature and quality of justice Responsiveness and respect National Center for State Courts (NCSC) trial court standards Standards appeal to the appearance of justice
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Gideon charged with felony at his first trial he requested a court appointed attorney and was denied Supreme Court ruled that states are required under sixth amendment of the US Constitution to provide an attorney to defendants in criminal cases who unable to afford their own attorneys
pretrial model in theory
Have power to help reduce formal punishment by diverting offenders away from guilty pleas/findings
prosecutes are not as low as we think based on
Heinz and Laumann
questions and concerns of court watching
How do you focus court watchers on a common metric evaluation? How do we know justice when we see it? How do you define professional standards for courtroom actors? How do you measure violations of standards when you see it? Inter-rater reliability: making sure that regardless who you are, you will see the same system going
Discretion in defending: Zealous Advocacy
Lawyers are expected to be advocates for their clients- arguing for legal innocence A lawyer is supposed to act "with zeal against advocacy upon the clients behalf" Professional rules governing lawyers neither elaborate on the specifics of zealous representation (Uphoff and Wood 1998) nor acknowledge the social context that impacts advocacy Zealous advocacy is not a fixed standard It is informal and discretionary decisions that define the formal legal processes
public defender advantages
Lawyers paid to represent indigents on ongoing basis will devote more time and effort Not competing against fee paying clients More experience lawyers - both in criminal law and workgroup norms Continuity in defense of poor- being there for initial appearances, hearings etc Indigent defenders see commonalities across many cases that individual attorneys may not see
private attorney vs public defender
Merits of public defender : little different between public versus private defenders National center for state courts research found Indigent defenders resolve cases more faster than private Indigent defenders (public) gained as many favorable outcomes as private attorneys Both are equally experienced but not as equally resourced
defendants through the eyes of researchers- feeley
Morally loaded descriptions of defendants "Lacking self-esteem motivation"- mope, indigent- used these in his book Blaming the defendant for the quality of their defense- their fault they did not get a good defense (interviewed professionals- did not delve deep enough) Pleading guilty is a moral failure, and it assumes that no one in the stream of cases can be innocent Neighborhood study- division with street that gave one side more money (side with less money had more crime) Malcolm saw these studies and chose to not use them to use them in the way Van Cleve does In contrast, professionals are "ethnographically" well-crafted and portrayed If you are going to animate the professionals, you have to animate the defendants Defendants are hardly seen as partners
limits to pro se
Must show ability to conduct a trial Judge cannot deny self representation because someone does not have "expert" knowledge Judge can appoint standby counsel Excludes mentally-ill defendants even if competent to stand trial
zealous advocacy is a social process
Shaped by the social attributes and needs of their clients (mental fitness, parental status, IQ)
stages of criminal process
Sixth amendment- right to counsel in "all criminal prosecutions" - not just a trial Supreme court adopted a "critical stages" test where "substantial rights of accused may be affected" (mempa v rhay) Right to counsel once adversarial proceedings have begun Pretrial is more limited : defendants have right to attorney during custodial interrogations (miranda v. Arizona)
plea bargain model
Substantive justice is offered through cooperative efforts of prosecutor and defense, instead of through due process model of justice through fair procedure and fact finding Theme: procedural protections are only one idea of justice and one route toward substantive justice Procedure- trial, substantive- outcome
substantive vs procedural justice
Substantive justice is separate and achievable even when procedural protections are not in full use Is speed and efficiency just for defendants Your outcome is okay despite not having a trial, no jury- on average you did ok
challenges to ethics
Such challenges - contextualize the ethical context of decision making by defense attorneys Client- based concerns help guide attorneys to type of advocacy to provide to client- whether treatment or trial advocacy Zealous advocacy - interpretive process contingent on extra-legal or legal needs of defendant and the social terrain of the criminal justice system Social needs help determine what the client needs
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
Supreme Court case that said you must be read your rights when arrested Ernesto miranda was not read legal rights prior to confessing to kidnapping and rape and was then released because no evidence besides his conviction
Brady v Maryland (1963)
Supreme Court rules prosecutors must turn over to the defense any evidence that would tend to prove a defendants innocence. failure to do so is a violation of the defendant's constitutional rights
Brady v maryland (1963)
Supreme court rules prosecutors must turn over to defense any evidence that would tend to prove a defendant's innocence. Failure is a violation to defendants rights If you do not turn over evidence, it is called a "Brady violation" Discovery materials- police reports, pictures, blood
Malcolm feely background and context
TPP describes taking process that lower criminal courts toward adjudication Due process revolution was a time where supreme court extending protections to defendants - right to counsel and right to trial - he found that large number of defendants were Without attorneys none chose to have a jury trial Empirical puzzle : despite expansion rights, they are not being enforced
pretrial punishment model
The "title track" to his book Causing several shifts From punishment after adjudication to punishment pretrial punishment From judges sanctioning to police/prosecutors being responsible for meeting out sanction Bondmen and defense attorneys participating in sanctioning by affect how long someone is detained and how long the process will proceed The law on the books would say that punishment happens after trial Law in action- punishment happens before trial that sometimes doesn't happen There procedural, substantive justice, and the process is the experience of the procedural justice
defendants' voices
The process is the punishment refers to defendants but we do not hear their account Tension between the negative light in which they are portrayed
Connick (prosecutor) v Thompson (defendant)
Thompson spent 18 years in prison- 14 of them isolated on death row- watched seven executions that were planned for him Prosecutors did not turn over evidence that would have cleared for him Convicted of First degree murder Individual who was murdered was rich Is amping up convictions of a crime part of berger case? Blood found on pants did not match with thompsons blood- carjacker type B he was type O Prosecutor admits before she dies that she hid the evidence on the case Saw thompson for carjacking- used as part as death penalty Connick was district attorney's office concealed 9 of 36 exculpatory (evidence that can free you) evidence death penalty convictions Connick and his prosecutors have never been held accountable Won 14 million for this civil rights violation, one for every year spent wrongfully incarcerated (never got that money) Clarence thomas was the overriding factor of deciding that thompson should not get money Supreme court never ruled if thompson was guilty of innocent Prosecutors got enough training at law school
the right to counsel
sixth amendments is the provision of right to counsel, indigent defendants charged with felony entitled to service of lawyer paid by state
safeguards of court watching
create common metric of standards develop research instruments train court watchers procedure
American criminal courts should be seen as
accessible, authoritative, rational, and unbiased
pretrial
anything before due process
color-blind racism
not acknowledging that racial bias can exist or exists at all
color blind racism
not acknowledging that racial biased can't exist at all
Gideon v wainwright (1963)
the states had to provide you with an attorney if you were indigent (poor)
bail set by police
not by meaningful independent review - means that police just have to accuse you and bail will be put, no one has to review your bail Twice as many defendants detained prior to adjudication as would ultimately be sentenced to jail
defendant challenges
based challenges fueled by addiction, poverty and/or mental illness, and
system challenges
based challenges that compromise the quality and character of justice - death penalty becoming illegal in a state (would it change how you did trial) System-based challenges include limitations in treatment resources and cultural norms that stigmatize zealous advocacy within the courtroom workgroup Man who was addicted to drugs and killed old people who were playing cards Pleaded guilty but public defender said he was in a haze and should be life in prison not death
after 9/11 we try defenders on home grounds or international courts
berger case says that it would not give a fair trial
law in the books case
berger v united states
how does the subtle kind of racism become the overt?
breaking code, exposing, same thing just one is hidden
discovery materials
police report, crime scene photos, bloody jeans (Thompson case)
case study example
poor bus boy gets in fight with wealthy frat student Wealthier student gets trial no matter if he's guilty or not Poor bus boy has to plead guilty no matter Both rely on how much money resources can pay for
indigent
poor/needy
institutionalized
practices incorporated in an institution
institutionalized
practices incorporated into the institution
exculpatory evidence
evidence that can free you
death penalty cases- "death is different"
means if you're going to go and sentence someone to death there is no appeal once they are dead, if that is the verdict the proof to convict needs to be bulletproof
criminal cases as "unsavory" law
the worst human complexities
death penalty cases "death is different"
means if you're going to go and sentence someone to death there is no appeal once they are dead, if that is the verdict the proof to convict needs to be bulletproof, no flakey evidence
station adjustment
clean record, watch you for 24 months, if you do something within that time you are in trouble
court watching is rooted in a
consumer perspective of justice
court watching prioritizes
measuring the system and its legitimacy through the eyes of its consumers and it should look good everyday for the consumers
non felony criminal prosecutions
misdemeanor charged in misdemeanor charges
the Supreme Court does not mandate how much
money or what types of attorneys should be your defender
legal immunity
prosecutors have a great deal of legal immunity can only sue prosecutor in narrowest of circumstances If conviction is overturned, prosecutor cannot be held for mispractice Being freed is your remedy
prosecutors
most powerful actors in the CJS more control over life, liberty, and reputation than anyone broad discretion part of the executive branch independence from judiciary may challenge judicial decision advocate for people's guilt discretion is curbed by their role as a lawyer and officer prosecutor has duty to see that justice shall be done in the middle of the fragmented non system
prosecutor has duty to see that justice shall be done
must prosecute in a way where rights of defendant are respected and protected berger v United States
pro se
defend yourself Waiting for defense attorney means you would be waiting in jail longer Not enough defense attorneys in your system Nothing to lose You think the system is stacked against you
successful persecution
defendant found guilty, or jury/bench sins- then you can be promoted as a prosecutor - law in action
qualification to Gideon
defendants have the right to defend themselves... the right to proceed pro se
indigents
defendants who are too poor to pay a lawyer and therefore are entitled to a lawyer for free
defense want
discretion used for deals- better deal for their clients
police want
discretion used for tough penalties- I brought in this case, evidence
diversion in pretrial model
diversion, deferred prosecution, conversion If you do these certain things than we will be more lenient, if you get caught you are screwed
American bar association (ABA)
duty is to seek justice not just convict ethical issues are different for prosecutors then defense because they are not just representing an individual SA may feel as though they represent victims or police but through client is the state Get great deal of special responsibilities State attorney= prosecutor
court watching procedure
dynamic and responsive to changes over time multilevel modeling
training court watchers
endure consistency of observation educate court watchers on the norms
open system model
environment influences shape court and impact courthouse workgroup Balance between individual and collective interest, constraints and goals of sponsoring organization, and influence of environment
Connick v Thompson
evidence case Thompson spent 18 years in prison, 14 in isolation on death row prosecutors did not overturn evidence that would have cleared him they were granted almost complete immunity for their misconduct Connick was DA and didn't train prosecutors properly Thompson was retried on all cases and found not guilty sued Connick for failing won 14$ million
juvenile system
first that adults in terms of representation, in order to get your child out of lock up you may have to forfeit rights to attorney
the sixth amendment
guarantees the right to a speedy public trial by an impartial jury; the right to a lawyer; the right to cross examine witnesses; and the right to force witnesses at a trial to testify.
diversion in pretrial model in theory
have power to help reduce formal punishment by diverting offenders away from guilty pleas/findings
police and prosecutors
have the most power
berger v united states
narrows discretion- less power to prosecutor 1935
lower courts
no jury trials, only-one-third who faces jail time had counsel bail set by police Defendant waited weeks or months for only "moments" ... play "bit parts" not starring role in their own case Sentencing guidelines are very prescriptive Sentencing unrelated to seriousness of the charge, prior record or other expected predictors Simple cases taking 8 to 10 appearances while complex cases avoid lengthy engagements through plea bargaining - more time for simple cases Lower court officials acting more like social workers than lawyers Plea bargaining is the most effective Substantive- outcome or sentencing
cost
holistically - everything you lose-- money, freedom, suffering, family, work, reputation
multilevel modeling
houts tallied in every courtroom; more court watchers sent to court if an "event" occurred- all saw the same thing
Supreme Court mandates indigent-defense systems but does not specify
how system should be enacted and how to fund it never said how the indigent defense system should look
how does subtle types of racism become overt
it is the same thing just different forms
In re Gault (1967)
juveniles have the right to counsel, to confront and examine accusers, and to have adequate notice of charges when confinement is a possible punishment
broad discretion
large/powerful = control
Berger v. United States (1935)
limitations on prosecutors abused power so limited power to persecutor less power to prosecutor tried to take discretion from prosecutors prosecution is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done duty to refrain from improper methods calculated to produce wrongful conviction as it is to use every legitimate means to bring about a just one about justice not about winning successful persecution
Argersinger v. Hamlin (1972)
limited the right of non felony defendants to have court-appointed counsel
mope
low grade offender but punished the most, attorneys can be mopes too for fighting for clients
legal immunity
prosecutors have a great deal of legal immunity you can only sue prosecutors in the narrowest of circumstances ex. if conviction is overturned on appeal, cannot sue prosecutor for "malpractice" appellate court several is sufficient remedy
what comes first punishment or adjudication
punishment
Charlottesville rally
racism is harsher in the system because its set in stone but in Virginia it was easy to point out because it was seen individual
duke lacrosse case
stripper at party stripper accused many of the players for raping her
reforming indigent defense must start with a lens that
that focuses on the entire courtroom workgroup of legal professionals who create the quality and experience of justice for the mostly minority and impoverished offenders
Pro Se Defendant
the deviant defendant who disregards professional authority and expertise reject representation and are defiant threatened by judges often evaluated for mental fitness - protection turned into weapon because lengthens detainment defende attorney must initiate such requests making them the "bad guy"
defense attorneys
the right to counsel
prosecutors represent
the state
judges want
to clear cases
monster
violent offender, viewed as heroic, prosecutors think their trial is worthy of their time because of the nature of violence, minority of defendant population but viewed as differently
due process revolution
was all the Supreme Court decisions like gideon or miranda that gave new rights to defendants
court watching as evaluation
we can evaluate the level of professionalism in the courtroom we can appraise the nature and quality of justice in each courtroom
people v Wabash, st. louis and pacific railway
widens discretion more power to prosecute put power directly in the hands of the prosecutor broadening of power and discretion more discretion
people v wabash
widens discretion- more power to prosecutor
pro se is the smarter choice because
you have nothing to lose