criminal justice system Flashcards
what are the three part of CJS?
the ministry of justice, the home office and the atterneys general office - they are all responsible for different things but work closely together and are joined to form the CJS
What is a jury
a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict
5% of cases have a jury, they are used in circumstances regarding a decision between innocence and guilt
what is the role of the crown prosecution service
responsible for determining the charge in the more serious and complex cases, and to decide whether to continue prosecution initiated by the police; two tests must be passed include the evidential test and the public interest test
what the two types of courts
the magistrate court which deals with around 95% of convictions, these are called summary offences. The crown courts deals with the more serious offences called indictable offences.
research in to jury bias ??
conducted by thomas in 2010, found that the overall conclusion was that juries appear efficent and effective, with no evidence suggesting they were biased against black or asian offenders
why do most cases never even get to trial
as 94% in magistrate, and 60% in crown court will plead guilty - this is the most likely outcome, the case can be withdrawn or discontinued at this point
how can convictions be obtained ?
early guilty plea, late guilty plea or being found guilty at trial
