Chapter 6: Criminal Procedure and Evidence Flashcards
Give examples of the conflict between crime control and due process.
Crime control would be the exclusion-of-evidence rule, which allows police officers to exercise discretion. However, due process is the high standard of proof for Crown, and that the jury decision must be unanimous.
What are the 3 levels of the Criminal Justice Process?
- Police investigation.
- Prosecutions’s analysis.
- Criminal court process.
What are the 3 steps that must be chronologically satisfied before the criminal trial process can be carried out? The individual who committed the crime must be:
- Correctly arrested.
- Accurately identified.
- Appropriately charged.
What are the 3 reasons people can be arrested?
- Prevent a crime from being committed.
- Terminate a breach of peace.
- Compel a person to attend trial.
What are 3 cases where police do not need a warrant to arrest?
- They have caught a person in the middle of committing an offence.
- They have reasonable grounds for believing that a person has committed an indictable offence.
- They have reasonable ground for believing that a person is about to commit an indictable offence.
Reasonable grounds
The required basis for arrest; more than a hunch or mere suspicion.
Necessary in the public interest
One of the criteria that an arrest must meet if it is made without a warrant. “Reasonably necessary in light of all the circumstances.”
Does being charged mean that you are a criminal?
No.
What are the two types of written statements that may be involved during charging, besides the charge itself?
- Information.
2. Indictment.
Information
A written statement given by the police or a private citizen to a magistrate that describes in ordinary language the alleged offence for which a warrant or summons is required, and that may be sustained on oath.
Indictment
A written accusation that sets our charges against an accused person for a serious indictable offence.
What is the two-tiered test administered by the Crown to decide whether or not to prosecute?
- Evidential test (is there sufficient admissible evidence?).
- Public interest test.
Admissible
Allowable as evidence in a case.
Most offences are ___ (summary, indictable, hybrid).
Hybrid.
What are some factors considered by the Crown in hybrid cases?
- Seriousness.
- Criminal Record.
- Recommendation of attorney general.
- Effect of having to testify on witnesses or victims.
- Public interest.
Prima facie
Legal presumption meaning “on the face of it” or “at first sight.”
What are the 3 peremptory pleas that can be issued at a preliminary inquiry?
- Pardon (has been convicted of same offence before).
- Autrefois acquit (has been acquitted of same offence before).
- Autrefois convict (has been convicted of the same offence before).
Disclosure derives from…
The right of the accused to make full answer and defence.
Is disclosure absolute?
No, the timing can be controlled by the Crown, and irrelevant information can be withheld.
What are the 2 purposes of disclosure?
- Ensure the accused knows the case to be met and is able to make full answer and defence.
- To encourage the resolution of facts at issue, and when appropriate, allow the entering of a guilty plea in early stages of proceedings.
Privilege
Legal right to keep certain kinds of communication confidential.