The Courtroom and the Courthouse
Roles of law enforcement
There are various police units responsible for law enforcement in United States. The police officers are the ones who first get into contact with victims. The victims call for help from the police and place their complaints. The police will try to find enough evidence by inquiring information from the witnesses and interviewing the victims.
The police have to consult with the victim by the use of pre charge measure which may act as alternatives. The accused should be placed in custody by the police. The Police Units in the US are called bureaus which include CGP, DEA, USSS, FBI, ICE, USMS and ATF.
Prosecutors
The chief legal representative is the prosecutor within the civil law inquisitorial system and in countries which use common law adversarial system. The prosecutor is responsible for presenting the criminal case during the court trail against a suspect for breaking the law. The prosecutors are basically lawyers who are recognized as professionals in the courts. They posses an academic degree in law and are admitted to the bar. Ones a suspect is charged and identified, the lawyers get involved in this criminal case to file the various claims. The lawyers are entrusted by the government with the capability of pursing a prosecution successfully. They are also subject to the rules of professional responsibility which requires that the lawyers disclosed all the information and evidence to the defense in a timely manner.
Defense attorney
A defense attorney is also a defense lawyer who represents the party accused of committing a crime. The accused party is the defendant in the criminal case. Defense lawyers normally start as state prosecutorsand act according to the interest of the victim but not directly representing them. If an individual is charged with crime but he can not afford to hire his or her own lawyer. The state will appoint an attorney to act on behalf of the defendant. The role of a defense attorney is to defend the client with vigor based on law with the aim of casting doubt on the case of prosecution.
Judges Structure
The law courts are independent structures which cases are to be decided according to facts and laws. They judges should not being influenced by political current and vagaries. There are two distinct court systems in every state which can either be federal or state courts. Many cases are handled by the courts of the state with majority of cases dealing with estates, wills, divorce, traffic offences and selling and buying of property.
The Courts in United States are divided into three difference layers. There is the trail court. This is where every criminal case starts. Secondly, is the intermediate or appellate courts where there is the first hearing of appeals? Finally is the Supreme Court which is the last resort. This is the highest court in the country where further appeals are heard and there is the passing of the final authority and judgment (Kyne, 2010).
Process
The legal process is the proceedings which go on in a criminal prosecution or a civil suit. This describes the writ and the formal notice that the court uses to perform jurisdiction over a property or a person. This process is directed towards a party to give instructions as to when to appear in court. Legal process may be in the form of subpoena, mandate, warrant, or summon (Black, 1995, pp 1205).
Reference
Black, Henry C. (1990). Black’s Law Dictionary. St. Paul, M: West Publishing. pp. 1205.
Kyne, E (2010) what is a defense lawyer? Retrieved from
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-defense-lawyer.htm
On August 2, 2010
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