Chapter 7: Pretrial procedure & the trial process

Question 1

*Arrest

Answer 1

taking offenders into custody

Question 2

*Booking

Answer 2

procedure to gain information on the suspect and form a file

Question 3

Bail Bonds

Answer 3

surety to produce those under arrest

Question 4

Jumping Bail

Answer 4

leaving the jurisdiction to avoid prosecution

Question 5

Bounty

Answer 5

money promised by a bondsman to locate bail jumpers

Question 6

*Bounty Hunter

Answer 6

trackdown bail jumpers

Question 7

Direct Examination

Answer 7

question and answer of your own witness

Question 8

arrestees

Answer 8

person who have been arrested by police for suspicion of committing a crime

Question 9

misdemeanor

Answer 9

crime punishable by fines and/ or imprisonment for a period of less than one year in a city or county jail

Question 10

felony

Answer 10

crime punishable by incarceration for a period of one year or longer in a federal or state prison

Question 11

probable cause

Answer 11

reasonable belief that a crime has been committed and a particular person committed the crime

Question 12

reasonable suspicion

Answer 12

warranted suspicion that a person may be engaged in criminal conduct

Question 13

*initial appearance

Answer 13

formal proceeding during which the judge advises the defendant of the charge

Question 14

*release of their own recognizance (ROR)

Answer 14

arrangement where the defendant are able to be set free temporarily to await a later trial without having to post a bail bond

Question 15

bail

Answer 15

surety provided by defendants or others to guarantee their subsequent appearance in court to face criminal charges

Question 16

cash bail bond

Answer 16

situation where defendants obtain release by paying in cash the full amount

Question 17

bail bond companies

Answer 17

any organization established for the purpose of posting bail for criminal suspects.

Question 18

*bail bondsperson/ bondsman

Answer 18

person who is in the business of posting bail for criminal suspects

Question 19

*excessive bail

Answer 19

any bail amount that exceeds the seriousness of the offense so as to be prohibited by 8th Amendment

Question 20

totality of circumstances

Answer 20

applied to bail decision making where the entire set of circumstances is considered for persons considered bail-eligible

Question 21

Bail Reform Act

Answer 21

assured that bail practices would be revised to ensure that all persons, regardless of financial status, shall not needlessly be detained to answer criminal charges

Question 22

*Bail Reform Act 1984

Answer 22

revision of original bail reform act, it gave judges and magistrates autonomy to decide conditions under which bail would be granted or denied.

Question 23

sexual predator laws

Answer 23

somewhat ambiguous laws enacted in various states to identify and control previously convicted sex offenders

Question 24

*Philadelphia Experiment

Answer 24

an experiment conducted concerning bail guidelines in the Philadelphia Municipal Court, led to greater equity in bail decision making for persons of different socioeconomic statuses

Question 25

*Failure to appear

Answer 25

when defendants fail to present themselves for trial or some other formal proceeding

Question 26

bail recovery agents

Answer 26

a person who has not jumped bail by fleeing the jurisdiction before trial

Question 27

*preliminary hearings/ examination

Answer 27

hearings by magistrates or other judicial officer to determine if person charged with a crime should be held for trial

Question 28

informations

Answer 28

written accusations made by public prosecutor against a person for some criminal offense without an indictment

Question 29

no bill

Answer 29

grand jury decision that there is insufficient evidence that exist to establish probable cause that the crime was committed by specific person

Question 30

*arraignment

Answer 30

official proceeding in which defendant is formally confronted by criminal charges and enters a plea, trial date is established

Question 31

not guilty

Answer 31

a defendants formal contesting of any wrongdoing in court to charges contained in a complaint

Question 32

Speedy Trial Act

Answer 32

compliance with 6th Amendment provision for a citizen to be brought to trial without undue delay

Question 33

adversarial proceedings

Answer 33

opponent- driven court litigation where one side opposes the other,

Question 34

nolo contendere

Answer 34

plea of “no contest” to charges, treated as a guilty plea

Question 35

*bench trial

Answer 35

trial by the judge (no jury)

Question 36

*Indictment

Answer 36

charges or written accusations that are found and presented by grand jury that a particular defendant probably committed a crime.

Question 37

*verdict

Answer 37

decision by judge or jury concerning the guilt or innocence of a defendant

Question 38

*grand jury

Answer 38

investigative bodies that determine probable cause regarding commission of a crime and returning formal charges against suspect.

Question 39

polling the jury

Answer 39

state their vote out loud inopen court

Question 40

Expert Witnesses

Answer 40

scientifically interpret evidence, may give an opinion based on their expertise

Question 41

Eye Witnesses

Answer 41

Testify as to first hand knowledge of events that are based on the five senses

Question 42

alternate jurors

Answer 42

may be used in case one of the jurors becomes ill