The voir dire process is yet another aspect of the criminal justice system deemed central to the concept of justice. Why, then, are peremptory challenges allowed? Explain why an attorney may or may not use a peremptory challenge. Explain the process of challenging a peremptory challenge. Why might this process be difficult in and of itself?

What will be an ideal response?


Individuals may be excluded during voir dire for cause based on an inability to fairly and impartially weigh the evidence. A peremptory challenge is a challenge that is exercised “without a reason.” In 1986, in Batson v. Kentucky, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Equal Protection Clause prohibits a prosecutor from challenging potential jurors “solely on account of their race . . . on the assumption that black jurors as a group will be unable to impartially consider the State’s case against a black defendant.” In 1994, the U.S. Supreme Court held in J.E.B. v. Alabama ex rel. that lawyers also are prohibited from using peremptory challenges to exclude jurors based on gender.

Criminal Justice

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Criminal Justice

Answer the following statements true (T) or false (F)

1) According to the Supreme Court, imposing a sentence of life imprisonment for a non-violent felony is a violation of the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment, even if the defendant has a history of serious or violent convictions. 2) Mandatory sentencing laws appear to reduce the use of plea bargaining and increase the number of cases that are brought to trial. 3) Although crime rates in the U.S. began to decline in the mid-1990s, incarceration rates continued to increase into the 2000s. 4) Stigmatic shaming is commonly used in restorative justice programs. 5) Justice reinvestment emphasizes the use of alternative sanctions, rather than incarceration, for nonviolent offenders.

Criminal Justice

Which of the following refers to research concerned with solving or addressing immediate policy problems?

a. Pure research b. Basic research c. Secondary research d. Applied research

Criminal Justice

________ is Syke's term for when officers become indebted to inmates and return favors

Fill in the blank(s) with correct word

Criminal Justice