Court Observation

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Recommended: Crime control vs. due process

Court visits are meaningful enrichments for law students to further understand the Australian court system through actual participation in court proceedings and understanding the justice system works is vital in deepening that knowledge. After attending the Brisbane Supreme court on 6th September 2017, I was able witness and observe a court hearing of some sort and during my confrontation of the supreme court I witnessed sentences and trials which were engaging and model cases at the most. When attending the court, it was visible to me that arrangement of the benches and all spaces drew a layout which distinguished the different roles amongst powers. The courtroom itself was not very large but was large enough for each voice that was spoken …show more content…

All legal procedures set by statute and court practice, including notice of rights, must be followed for everyone so that no prejudicial or unequal treatment will result. People who hold crime control values, on the other hand, believe that the most important function of the criminal justice system is containing and maintaining crime and that laws require strict enforcement. The due process advocate focuses on the need to protect the rights of the citizens and with the Hile hearing and my observation of this case I believe that a combination of both due process and crime control are present in this hearing. The court hearing which involved Shane Hile reflected a due process in a way as after the defendant announced that he was guilty of the crimes he committed, Judge Justice Bowskill took his confession into account later considering this when the decision of imprisonment was to be decided. The defendant did receive a fair trial in my opinion as the judge took into account all of the acts that he took to rid himself of his addiction to the use of cannabis and methamphetamine which had evidence from a doctor that proved that Hile was clean for that time between the sentence and him being custody. The judge has equally given him his rights and a fair case and this displays that due process model of justice which focuses on fundamental principle of fairness. It is not only the due process model of justice element that was reflected in the courtroom but also there was a image of crime

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