Pros And Cons Of Public Defender

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1. Judicial Review is the power of a court to review actions and decisions made by other agencies of government. By using judicial review, the court decides what laws and lower-court decisions keep with the intent of the U.S. Constitution pg. 289 2. Public defender is an attorney employed by a government agency or sub agency, or by a private organization under contract to a government body, for the purpose of providing defense services to indigents, or an attorney who has volunteered such service. A state employed lawyer, a public defender program relies on full time salaried staff. Public defender programs have become popular in 49 states and DC; however, Maine is the only state that does not have a publicly funded public defender office pg. …show more content…

Whether there is jurisdiction over the subject matter c. Whether there is jurisdiction to render the articular judgement sought (Staff, 2007a) 4. Prosecutorial discretion is the decision making power of prosecutors, based on the wide range of choices available to them, in the handling of criminal defendants, the scheduling of cases for trial, and the acceptance of negotiated pleas and so on. The most important form of prosecutorial discretion lies in the power to charge, or not to charge, a person with an offense pg. 296 A prosecutor has the ability to accept a plea bargain, and dismiss the case entirely, studies have shown 1/3-1/2 of all felony cases to be dismissed before a plea or trial begins. (Schmalleger, 2016) 5. Subpoena is a written order issued by a judicial officer or grand jury requiring an individual to appear in court and to give testimony or to bring material to be used as evidence. Some subpoenas can mandate that books, papers, and other items be surrendered to the court pg. 306 Generally served by an officer of the court or a police officer, but it can also go through the mail. Witnesses may be subpoenaed in a criminal case, by either side, and if they fail to appear, may face contempt-of-court charges. (Schmalleger, …show more content…

Release on Recognizance which involves no cash bond, and requires only the guarantee in writing to return for trial b. Property bonds substitute other items of value on place of cash: land, houses, automobiles, stocks and so on. c. Deposit bail is an alternate form of cash bond. It allows the defendant to post a percentage of the full bail with the court. d. Conditional release imposes requirements on the defendant, such as participating in a drug program, staying away from a certain person and holding down a regular job. e. Third party custody is a bail bond alternative that assigns custody of an individual to an individual, promising to return for court f. Unsecured bonds are based on a court determined dollar amount of bail, like credit. g. Signature bonds allow release based on the defendants written promise to appear, and involve no assessment of the offender’s dangerousness or likelihood to return. • Grand Jury is used by the Federal government and about half of the states • Preliminary Hearing are used by states that do not use a grand jury • Arraignment and Plea happens once the indictment has been returned or an information has been

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