Wk 4 Team - Courtroom Standards Analysis

Courtroom Standard Analysis

Eric Enk

Institutional Affiliation(s)

Author Note

Courtroom Standard Analysis

A courtroom consists of various group of people working on different roles and responsibilities. Among the group are judges, prosecutors, attorneys and other administrative staff ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a1hfhe6l710","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf (\\uc0\\u8220{}Chapter 3,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)}","plainCitation":"(“Chapter 3,” n.d.)"},"citationItems":[{"id":19,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/agqSDhCZ/items/44FD4J23"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/agqSDhCZ/items/44FD4J23"],"itemData":{"id":19,"type":"webpage","title":"Chapter 3","URL":"http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199738854/student/chapter3/","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",5,22]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“Chapter 3,” n.d.). The functioning is dependent on a relationship that different groups in the courtroom share. Prosecutor does have a diverse role to play and those roles sometimes have an independent and interdependent nature. First of all, prosecutor roles can vary from country to country depending on the law of the particular state. A prosecutor is a person who decides whether a case of investigation has to be initiated or not. Secondly, a prosecutor also acts as an intermediary between the police and the court ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a125d54a65k","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Taleb & Ahlstrand, 2011)","plainCitation":"(Taleb & Ahlstrand, 2011)"},"citationItems":[{"id":22,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/agqSDhCZ/items/JHSYT457"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/agqSDhCZ/items/JHSYT457"],"itemData":{"id":22,"type":"article-journal","title":"The public prosecutor, its role, duties and powers in the pre-trial stage of the criminal justice process – a comparative study of the french and the swedish legal systems –","container-title":"Revue internationale de droit penal","page":"523-540","volume":"82","issue":"3","source":"Cairn.info","abstract":"RésuméDans tout Etat de droit, l’objectif premier de la procédure pénale est de résorber le phénomène criminel sans toutefois porter atteinte aux libertés fondamentales des citoyens. Malgré leurs spécificités, la France et la Suède sont profondément concernées par la poursuite de cet objectif dont l’intérêt est aujourd’hui considéré comme une priorité européenne. Le procureur, à qui il incombe de déterminer si une affaire doit ou non, faire l’objet d’un traitement judiciaire, constitue le pivot du processus pénal. Cette étude a donc pour objet l’examen des pouvoirs et devoirs des procureurs français et suédois au sein de modèles de justice pénale à dominante respectivement inquisitoire et accusatoire. Dans ce contexte, la question de l’étendue de la convergence des systèmes pénaux européens demeure entière.","ISSN":"0223-5404","language":"fr","author":[{"family":"Taleb","given":"Akila"},{"family":"Ahlstrand","given":"Thomas"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2011"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Taleb & Ahlstrand, 2011). The prosecutor work in close coordination with police depending on the severity of the case. In handling any criminal case a prosecutor has also the power of coercion, a prosecutor can keep a suspect in custody during the proceeding. In order to ensure the human right laws are not abused, the judges share the power with prosecutors in determining the time of custody and to ensure the liberties of the suspect are not violated. The independence of a prosecutor varies from country to country and it is due to the limited independence of the prosecution that sometimes states fail to make state agents accountable for the crimes of human rights violations ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a1qb4gt1bmh","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Michel, 2017)","plainCitation":"(Michel, 2017)"},"citationItems":[{"id":26,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/agqSDhCZ/items/2VBBW3VH"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/agqSDhCZ/items/2VBBW3VH"],"itemData":{"id":26,"type":"article-journal","title":"The role of prosecutorial independence and prosecutorial accountability in domestic human rights trials","container-title":"Journal of Human Rights","page":"193-219","volume":"16","issue":"2","source":"Taylor and Francis+NEJM","abstract":"A prosecutorial organ is always in charge of the investigation and prosecution of crime, which makes this institution a key gatekeeper to the courts. Empowered with prosecutorial discretion, a prosecutorial organ dictates what, when, and whom to prosecute. The institutional design of the prosecutorial organ varies across time and across countries, which raises an important, yet quite understudied question: Does institutional design matter for how states respond to human rights violations and, if so, how? In this article, I develop a theoretical framework that highlights the importance of prosecutorial independence and prosecutorial accountability. I argue that understanding the factors that impact the use of prosecutorial discretion in human rights cases can potentially provide a more complete understanding of why and when states fail to investigate, to prosecute, and to punish human rights violations committed by state agents.","DOI":"10.1080/14754835.2015.1113864","ISSN":"1475-4835","author":[{"family":"Michel","given":"Verónica"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017",4,3]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Michel, 2017). It is the ethical duty of the prosecutor to provide true and valid information governing the case which could either negate the convictions or provide evidence against the convictions. A prosecutor should work in the limitations provided by the judicial court in order not to disturb the law and order situation. A prosecutor is liable to provide any relevant material at any time of the case to a competent authority and in most cases, it is the court ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a1jutiq1shc","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf (\\uc0\\u8220{}Rule 3.8,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)}","plainCitation":"(“Rule 3.8,” n.d.)"},"citationItems":[{"id":28,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/agqSDhCZ/items/NG9NHBXD"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/agqSDhCZ/items/NG9NHBXD"],"itemData":{"id":28,"type":"webpage","title":"Rule 3.8: Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor","URL":"https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_3_8_special_responsibilities_of_a_prosecutor/","shortTitle":"Rule 3.8","language":"en"}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“Rule 3.8,” n.d.). Prosecutors have a crucial role in the criminal justice system of any country and their role in any particular case act as benchmark for further similar cases. The effective role of prosecutor determines the effectiveness of the law

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Chapter 3. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2019, from http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199738854/student/chapter3/

Michel, V. (2017). The role of prosecutorial independence and prosecutorial accountability in domestic human rights trials. Journal of Human Rights, 16(2), 193–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/14754835.2015.1113864

Rule 3.8: Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_3_8_special_responsibilities_of_a_prosecutor/

Taleb, A., & Ahlstrand, T. (2011). The public prosecutor, its role, duties and powers in the pre-trial stage of the criminal justice process – a comparative study of the French and the swedish legal systems –. Revue internationale de droit penal, 82(3), 523–540.