The prosecutors are considered to be the most influential actors within the courthouse, as they decide which case to prosecute, the cases to plea-bargain, and the case to try. The prosecutor may also influence the factors of setting bail and creating the sentence. In the United States Constitution, one’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel is granted as many defendants cannot afford to hire a lawyer, they are provided a public defender also known as the defense attorney. The defense attorneys encourage their clients to think about how the jury will assess them as guilty beyond reasonable doubt, therefore most will plead guilt. The judge plays a major authority role in the criminal justice system whether it is in state courts, or larger courts.…
At the Jan. 20 meeting of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority board, I presented my case for the creation of a trusteeship that would oversee the millions of dollars in casino revenue that are intended for the sole benefit of the citizens of East Chicago. While there will likely be opponents of this proposal, I make it in good faith -- but with a clear understanding of the unique history of the public corruption that has robbed the people of East Chicago of the benefits that other cities around Indiana have enjoyed since the state legalized riverboat gambling in the early 1990s. Allow me to explain why I believe creating a special trusteeship is necessary. In the years I have served as Indiana's attorney general and in the previous years I served in the office as chief deputy, I know well the years of litigation required to bring an end to the unholy deal struck by former Mayor Robert Pastrick and his political cronies that was approved by the Indiana Gaming Commission at the time.…
Ethical Dilemmas of Defense Attorneys Defense attorneys have to face the ethical dilemma every day of whether or not to defend their client as well as whether or not to maintain that lawyer-client privilege. The lawyer-client privilege provides a security blanket for the client. Under this privilege, the client can almost tell the lawyer just about anything in confidence and not have to worry about the possible fear of being judged or incriminating themselves. A defense attorney serves as a guide that you can basically tell all your deepest darkest secrets to. However, some of those secrets may not always be able to be kept confidential, so be careful about what secrets you share.…
The LAPD has endured some of the politicalize incidents that ever plagued an agency. They have endured issues of corruption since from the beginning of 1920, the Watts Riots, the Rafael Perez’s matter, the Rodney King’s incident, the Battling Ram, police brutality, racial profiling, and all is broadcast-ed in a negative media coverage format. The media negative image of the LAPD that is presented to the community, foster a belief that the LAPD is out of control and Gang of Blue Thugs. In one report of the LAPD by the Christopher Commission, gave the impression that the agency has hired ill-trained rank, officers lacks sensitivity and empathy training in order to serve the community. These factors as created a mistrust of the rank and file…
Through the years, elections have become more and more important. Voting is where how some of our most important decisions are made. We decide on our elected officials both local, state, and federal. We can also vote for some laws to go into effect in our neighborhood. We believe our government to be honest and fair.…
Being an assistant district attorney is a very persistent and distinguished job that holds a plethora of important responsibilities. Assistant district attorneys (ADAs) represent their district attorney whereas the district attorney is elected or appointed most of the time by voters or appointed by the chief executive depending on the system in place. The basic job description of an ADA is, “An assistant district attorney, also called a deputy district attorney, or prosecutor, represents the people of the county he works at by determining if somebody faced with criminal charges has enough evidence to justify opening a case against him or her. In this regard, he will seek jail or prison time if the defendant is found guilty.” (lawcrossing.com).…
The failure of overworked lawyers to investigate, call witnesses or prepare for trial has led to the conviction of innocent people. When a defense lawyer doesn't do his or her job, the defendant suffers. Shrinking funding and access to resources for public defenders and court-appointed attorneys is only making the problem…
It isn’t simply a perceived corrupt system, or tainted images of success that tear down the citizenships hope in the American Dream, but also the state of the country’s economy that has left so many without hope, unable to sustain the ideals of the people. With each passing year, more and more job positions are sent overseas at the behest of companies wishing to save cost. The city of Detroit is hit hardest by this trend, as recorded in the book “The Fall of an American Rome”, which details the huge loss of manufacturing jobs within the city, a drop from 290,000 positions in the 1960s, to merely 27,000 in recent years (Skrabec). The loss of work doesn’t simply affect income, but the city’s prosperity as whole, even the city’s literacy, which…
In 2012, the state of Florida received a C-minus grade in a corruption assessment carried out by the Center for Public Integrity. A large part of the corruption that went into that assessment was the lack of strict lobbying regulation and the lack of enforcement on ethics regulations in place. While ideally the point of lobbyists is to represent the citizen’s interests to the government in shaping public policy, in reality they hinder the citizen’s interests by lending a bigger voice to the citizen’s or corporations who are able to afford it. Unless the lobbying industry sees major reform, its abuse will continue to prevent it from being effectively used.…
Miss Hilly, a very manipulative character in the novel, is capable of ruining people’s reputations. Hilly’s way of talking about the help characterizes her as someone who thinks she has the audacity to insult others for the simplest things. “Let’s give a special round of applause to the help, for all the wonderful food they cooked and served, and for the desserts they made for the Auction. ”(Stockett 383). For the help, they witnessed that Hilly was just another white racist woman trying to make things ‘equal’, when in reality, she only does it to impress her peers.…
“Now, no matter what the Mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft” (Hosseini 17). In The Kite Runner, author Khaled Hosseini mentions how a young boy grows up with his father in a small town in Afghanistan. During his life he faces many tribulations, but with great persistence he overcomes each roadblock he encounters.…
“Rouba mas faz,” or “He steals but gets things done.” This saying went along with the corrupt governor of Sao Paulo in the 1940s, during the beginning of South America’s exponentially increasing government exploitation (Margolis). One of These Days was set when widespread corrupt behavior was beginning in the South American government. The larger government figures were being bribed and committing crimes, but in smaller local government systems the same atrocities were occurring. Gabriel Garcia Marquez portrays the effects of early corruption when the presumed amoral mayor of a small town is not received well by Aurelio Escovar, a dentist in the town.…
They represent the defendant. However, the defense attorney plays a very important role in the criminal justice system, with that said, they are also faced with many ethical decisions within their duties. For example, defense attorney’s are often faced with knowing that their client is guilty, however, their job is to defend the justice system, the system of due process, and to ensure that due process is provided to their client. Furthermore, defense attorney’s are often approached by defendants, to compromise their integrity, thereby, undermining the criminal justice system, therefore, jeopardizing their ethics, and the oath to defend the “Bill of…
The Attorney General is the state’s law enforcement official, and lawyer. Their job is to protect and serve the interests of their states. They’re nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and the president can remove him/her from the office at any time. Some responsibilities are; protection for the public from violent criminals, help victims of crime, fighting against human trafficking, and opioid abuse etc. The Attorney general deals with cases that involve the government, and they’ll give advice to the president and heads of the executive department when needed, they’re in charge of supervising United States attorneys and marshals.…
The Orange County District Attorney’s office wrongfully abused the role of informants in high profile cases. Informants are typically low profile criminals in prison who can be used to gain information about another prisoners who have not exercised their right to a lawyer. This informant can take the stand and testify in court against these criminals. However, the Orange County District Attorney’s office created the idea of professional informants. They bribed and strategically placed these informants to trick other prisoners to confess to their acts of deviance.…