Criminal Procedure FINAL Flashcards
Mirandized
A term used by law enforcement officers to indicate that the suspect has been given the Miranda warnings
Miranda rule
Evidence obtained by the police during custodial interrogations cannot be used in court during trial unless the defendant was first informed of the right not to incriminate himself or herself and the right to a lawyer
Confession
A person says he or she committed th act
Admission
A person admits to something related to the act but may not have committed it.
Myth v. Reality: Police must give the Miranda warnings exactly as the Supreme Court specified
Myth
Myth v. Reality: Police do not have to give the Miranda warnings verbatim but must provide warnings which adequately convey the four components of the Miranda warnings
Reality
waiver
An intentional giving up of a known right or remedy
Intelligent waiver
One given by a suspect who knows what he or she is doing
Voluntary waiver
A waiver that is not the result of any threat, force or coercion
Myth vs. Reality: Police must obtain a signed waiver for a confession to be admissible after they give the Miranda warnings.
Myth
Myth vs. Reality
Police do not have to obtain a signed waiver; the waiver may be verbal. The better practice however, is to obtain a signed waiver
Custodial interrogation
An interrogation that takes place while a suspect is in custody
Custody
When the suspect is under arrest or deprived of freedom in a significant way
Deprived of freedom in a significant way
When a person’s freedom of movement is limited by the police and a reasonable person in the same circumstances would feel he or she was in custody
Interrogation
When the police ask questions that tend to incriminate or create the functional equivalent of an interrogation
Functional equivalent of an interrogation
Instances in which no questions are actually asked by the police but in which the circumstances are so conducive to making a statement or confession that the courts consider them to be the equivalent of interrogation
Edwards rule
Once a suspect invokes the right to remain silent, he or she cannot be questioned again for the same offense unless he or she initiates further communication, exchanges, or conversation with the police
Collateral derivative evidence
Evidence of a secondary nature that is related to the case but not directly a part of it.
General on-the-scene questioning
Questioning at the scene of the crime
Volunteered statement
one given by the suspect without interrogation
voluntary statement
a statement given without coercion and of the suspect’s own free will
Public safety exception
Responses to questions by the police without the Miranda warnings are admissible if the questions are reasonably prompted by concerns for public safety
Harmless error rule
A rule stating that an error made by the trial court in admitting illegally obtained evidence does not lead to a reversal of the conviction if the error is determined to be harmless. The prosecution has the burden of proving that the error is in fact harmless
Voir dire
A process whereby potential jurors are assembled in court and questioned by the judge or attorneys so either side can determine if they should be chosen for or disqualified from membership in a trial jury
Nonunanimous verdict
A verdict by a jury that is not the result of a unanimous vote
Hung jury
A jury that cannot come to a unanimous agreement to convict or acquit
Serious offense
for purpose of a jury trial, one for which more than six months imprisonment is authorized
Petty offense
For purpose of a jury trial, it is an offense whose maximum penalty is six months or less
Myth vs. Reality: A defendant has the right to a jury of peers, and that means the jury must include people similar in age or race or gender to the defendant
Myth
Myth vs. Reality: A defendant’s right to a jury of peers means only that the jury must come from the same community as where the crime occurred and be representative of the community generally, not the defendant specifically
Reality
Jury of peers
A jury that is not consciously restricted to a particular group
Peremptory challenges
A challenge to exclude a potential juror for which no reason is stated
Challenges for cause
A challenge to exclude a potential juror based on legal reasons
Retained counsel
An attorney chosen and paid by the accused
Court-appointed counsel
A defense lawyer appointed by the court for a defendant who is too poor to pay
Indigent defendants
A defendant who is too poor to hire a lawyer
Myth or Reality: A convicted offender can get a new trial simply by showing that their counsel made some mistakes during trial
Myth
Myth or Reality: It is very difficult to establish ineffective assistance of counsel as defined by the Supreme Court mistakes by defense counsel alone are rarely sufficient to warrant a new trial for a defendant
Reality
Procedural due process
The legal process that is to be followed, depending upon the type of proceeding involved
Substantive due process
There are aspects of a person’s life that cannot be regulated by the government because they are so basic and private to the individual
Brady rule
The prosecutor has a duty to disclose evidence favorable toa a defendant
Physical self-incrimination
Involves real or physical evidence
Testimonial or communicative self-incrimination
That which explicitly or implicitly relates a factual assertion or discloses information
Privilege of the accused
The privilege not to testify during trial.
Privilege of a witness
Any witness, other than an accused on the witness stand, has the privilege to refuse to disclose any information that may tend to incriminate him or her
Immunity
The person granted immunity will not be prosecuted in a criminal case
Transactional immunity
Full immunity, meaning the witness can no longer be prosecuted for any offense arising out of that act or transaction
Use and derivative use immunity
Partial immunity meaning the witness can still be prosecuted on the basis of evidence other than his or her testimony, if the prosecutor has such independent evidence
Sequestration
Keeping jurors together during the trial and strictly controlling contact with the outside world
Sentencing
The formal pronouncement of punishment following conviction in a criminal prosecution
Due process
Fundamental fairness