Discuss the appeals process and its relation to wrongful convictions.

What will be an ideal response?


Answers will vary. Once the appeals process begins, a defendant is no longer presumed innocent. The burden of proof has shifted, and the defendant is obligated to prove that her or his conviction should be overturned. The method of filing an appeal differs slightly among the fifty states and the federal government. For the most part, defendants are not required to exercise their right to appeal. The one exception involves the death sentence. Given the seriousness of capital punishment, the defendant is required to appeal the case, regardless of his or her wishes.The appeals process is primarily concerned with "legal innocence." That is, appeals courts focus on how the law was applied in a case, rather than on the facts of the case. However, there are cases in which a defendant who is factually innocent has been found guilty at trial. For the most part, such wrongful convictions can be righted only with the aid of new evidence suggesting that the defendant was not, in fact, guilty. When such new evidence is uncovered, a prosecutor's office can choose to reopen the case and redress the initial injustice.

Criminal Justice

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The federal government has insisted that all local police and fire will use plain English, rather than 10-codes

a. true b. false

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______ includes the loss of self-respect that might be feared if laws were broken.

A. Perceived behavioral stability B. Perceived self-imposed costs C. Internally imposed sanctions D. Perceived informal sanctions

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Answer the following statement(s) true (T) or false (F)

1. Labeling theorists believe that formally sanctioning people through the criminal justice system is better than diverting people from the system. 2. Nearly one in three African American males between 20 and 29 years of age are under some form of control by the criminal justice system. 3. A lawbreaker’s behavior is only one factor and maybe not even the most important factor in determining whether or not society will assign a criminal label to him/her. 4. Labeling theorists claim that state intervention created crime rather than halted crime. 5. The idea that criminal justice intervention can deepen criminality originated with the labeling theorists of the 1960s.

Criminal Justice

Upon the election of which president did the U.S.’s attitude towards the ICC soften?

a. Clinton b. Bush c. Obama d. None of the above

Criminal Justice