History And Purpose: American Criminal Court System
Court History and Purpose
Humberto Camacho
CJA/224 Introduction to Criminal Court Systems
October 27, 2014
Professor: Samyra Hicks
Court History and Purpose The American criminal court system plays a major role in our country. Without this system, all of those who violate the law would be entitled to do whatever they want and not held accountable for their actions. Defining the court and its purpose it’s something that will makes us understand the system a little better. The dual court system, also plays a major role in our countries system and will be defined in this paper. Describing the role that early legal codes, the common law, and precedent played in the development of courts will also be defined in depth …show more content…
From the Code of Hammurabi and Twelve Tables were the foundation of principles, rules and guidelines that humans needed to live by in order to survive. Today courts follow a similar code by upholding the laws and making sure that the ones that choose to violate them are punished accordingly. “The common law can be better understood when it is contrasted with special law, which refers to the laws of specific villages and localities that were in effect in medieval England and that were often enforced by canonical courts. Under the reign of Henry II (1154–1189), national law was introduced, but not through legislative authority as is customary today. Rather, Henry II implemented a system whereby judges from his own central court went out into the countryside to preside over disputes. They resolved these disputes based on what they perceived as custom. The judges effectively created law, as there was no democratic law-forming process in place at the time” (Siegel, Schmallege, & Worrall, 2011, Chapter 1). Precedent refers to past decisions on similar cases, which make it easier for judges to follow on most outcomes of their current case. The precedent has been a great way to keep similar cases flowing easier and quicker through the court system, which is a huge …show more content…
Both of these functions are critically important for the protection of public safety and the smooth operation of the system itself” (Siegel, Schmallege, & Worrall, 2011, Chapter 1). Adjudication is very important because it settles the problem with a decision or ruling and oversight which includes everyone from the court and criminal justice field to work together, not only to avoid mistakes but also to make sure no one is violating any citizen’s rights. The oversight aspect of it is crucial because not only do courts uphold the law but they also make sure that the innocent are not wrongly accused or violated in any
Humberto Camacho
CJA/224 Introduction to Criminal Court Systems
October 27, 2014
Professor: Samyra Hicks
Court History and Purpose The American criminal court system plays a major role in our country. Without this system, all of those who violate the law would be entitled to do whatever they want and not held accountable for their actions. Defining the court and its purpose it’s something that will makes us understand the system a little better. The dual court system, also plays a major role in our countries system and will be defined in this paper. Describing the role that early legal codes, the common law, and precedent played in the development of courts will also be defined in depth …show more content…
From the Code of Hammurabi and Twelve Tables were the foundation of principles, rules and guidelines that humans needed to live by in order to survive. Today courts follow a similar code by upholding the laws and making sure that the ones that choose to violate them are punished accordingly. “The common law can be better understood when it is contrasted with special law, which refers to the laws of specific villages and localities that were in effect in medieval England and that were often enforced by canonical courts. Under the reign of Henry II (1154–1189), national law was introduced, but not through legislative authority as is customary today. Rather, Henry II implemented a system whereby judges from his own central court went out into the countryside to preside over disputes. They resolved these disputes based on what they perceived as custom. The judges effectively created law, as there was no democratic law-forming process in place at the time” (Siegel, Schmallege, & Worrall, 2011, Chapter 1). Precedent refers to past decisions on similar cases, which make it easier for judges to follow on most outcomes of their current case. The precedent has been a great way to keep similar cases flowing easier and quicker through the court system, which is a huge …show more content…
Both of these functions are critically important for the protection of public safety and the smooth operation of the system itself” (Siegel, Schmallege, & Worrall, 2011, Chapter 1). Adjudication is very important because it settles the problem with a decision or ruling and oversight which includes everyone from the court and criminal justice field to work together, not only to avoid mistakes but also to make sure no one is violating any citizen’s rights. The oversight aspect of it is crucial because not only do courts uphold the law but they also make sure that the innocent are not wrongly accused or violated in any