Investigation
When might police conduct a search without a warrant?
Probable Cause
Most criminal cases do not go to trial, but are rather settled through which process?
Plea Bargaining
What happens when a jury cannot come to an agreement on a case?
Mistrial
Who decides what the sentence will be for an individual found guilty in most states?
The Judge
Do you think Scott Peterson was innocent or guilty and why?
Various.
What does it mean when someone "pleads the 5th?"
They are invoking their right to not self-incriminate.
What is bail?
Money put up by the accused individual to allow them to go free until their trial.
Give a brief recap of the steps in a trial.
1. Opening Statements
2. Presentation of Evidence and Examination of Witnesses
3. Closing Statements
4. Jury Deliberation
What is parole and how does it work?
Release of a convicted individual before their sentence is completed.
Most states use what method for executing prisoners?
Lethal Injection
What rights does the 6th Amendment protect?
Right to a speedy, public trial by a jury of your peers. Right to an attorney.
What are bond companies?
A company that will pay your bail for a fee (Ex: Defendant with bail set at $2,000 might be released after paying $200 to bond company.)
If you are accused of a crime and waive your right to a trial by a jury of your peers, who decides if you are guilty or not guilty?
The judge
Describe the reentry process.
Various.
What is the name of the individual by police conducting a No-Knock Warrant in the summer of 2020 whose death brought national attention to the use of police raids?
Breonna Taylor
What does a police officer have to do to obtain a warrant?
Visit a judge, describe the details of the case and what/where they expect to find incriminating evidence, get the judge's approval
Describe what happens during the booking process.
Accused individual provides personal information, is fingerprinted and photographed. May be asked for DNA sample, urine test, or handwriting sample.
Describe the two ways that an attorney can remove a potential juror from participating in a trial.
For-cause challenge and peremptory challenge.
Name at least 3 of the options available to a judge at the sentencing phase.
Suspended sentence, home confinement, fine, work release, imprisonment, death penalty
What is the difference in jail and prisons?
Jails are for sentences of less than a year and individuals awaiting a trial are also held here, prisons are for sentences of a year or more and are ran by states or the federal government.
What is the exclusionary rule?
When police conduct an illegal search that evidence is not allowed to be used in court.
What is a grand jury and how is it different than a trial jury?
A grand jury is a group of 16 to 23 people who are charged with determining if there is sufficient evidence for an individual to stand trial.
The Fifth Amendment protects an individual from double jeopardy. What is double jeopardy?
Being tried twice for the same crime.
Describe the four purposes of punishment.
Retribution, Deterrence, Rehabilitation, Incapacitation
What was the name of Scott and Laci Peterson's unborn son?
Connor