Judge and Criminal Justice Funnel
Marcos Villagomez
Courtroom
11-9-2013
During this paper I am going to be covering topics such as the courtroom work groups, the role of a prosecutor, the effects of the criminal justice funnel and the backlog of cases on the court system and the courtroom work group. Topics such as these are important to cover so that each individual has a complete understanding of the pros and cons of systems in the judicial system. What is a courtroom work group? “The professional courtroom actors, including judges, prosecuting attorneys, defense attorneys, public defenders, and others who earn a living serving the court.” (Pg. 312) By Frank Schmalleger 2011. From my understanding a courtroom work group is anyone who works as an employee of the court systems. This includes the bailiff, courtroom recorders, courtroom clerks and translators. During a daily basis the courtroom work group is expected to maintain interaction that serves the court and its many members. The courtroom work group is focused on bringing the case to a fair ending by communicating with each other even though there are different parties hoping for different outcomes. The reason they are able to communicate so well is because even though they support different sides of the case, they are all focused on closing the case quickly. If I was able to make changes to the courtroom work group I would like to change the allotted time each judge spends on a single case. I feel it is important that citizens understand what the judge is telling them and they feel like they are being treated with care not just being rushed through the system. Frank Schmalleger said, “An attorney whose official duty is to conduct criminal proceedings on behalf of the state or the people against those accused of having committed criminal offences.” (Pg. 315) A prosecutor has too many duties for one person to take on so they hire assistant district attorneys who take over most of the court work. There are
Courtroom
11-9-2013
During this paper I am going to be covering topics such as the courtroom work groups, the role of a prosecutor, the effects of the criminal justice funnel and the backlog of cases on the court system and the courtroom work group. Topics such as these are important to cover so that each individual has a complete understanding of the pros and cons of systems in the judicial system. What is a courtroom work group? “The professional courtroom actors, including judges, prosecuting attorneys, defense attorneys, public defenders, and others who earn a living serving the court.” (Pg. 312) By Frank Schmalleger 2011. From my understanding a courtroom work group is anyone who works as an employee of the court systems. This includes the bailiff, courtroom recorders, courtroom clerks and translators. During a daily basis the courtroom work group is expected to maintain interaction that serves the court and its many members. The courtroom work group is focused on bringing the case to a fair ending by communicating with each other even though there are different parties hoping for different outcomes. The reason they are able to communicate so well is because even though they support different sides of the case, they are all focused on closing the case quickly. If I was able to make changes to the courtroom work group I would like to change the allotted time each judge spends on a single case. I feel it is important that citizens understand what the judge is telling them and they feel like they are being treated with care not just being rushed through the system. Frank Schmalleger said, “An attorney whose official duty is to conduct criminal proceedings on behalf of the state or the people against those accused of having committed criminal offences.” (Pg. 315) A prosecutor has too many duties for one person to take on so they hire assistant district attorneys who take over most of the court work. There are