Passive Voice In The Criminal Justice System
Victims’ Rights paper Sandee Maige CJA 313 Contemporary Issues In Criminal Justice Professor Hale May 20, 2010
As Americans in the United States we [Use "we," "us," or "our" to mean yourself and coauthors, not general humanity (or yourself and the reader)] are entitled [The passive voice is a form of "be" (are) and a participle (entitled). Over-use of the passive voice can make paragraphs tedious to read and officious. Try to use the active voice most often, e.g., the student completed the …show more content…
They provided information to the victim so they would understand how the criminal justice system worked so they would be aware of the process and rights they hold. Once a crime is committed [Passive voice] and is reported [Passive voice] to law enforcement officials, the criminal process will begin. The justice system is a confusing process for a victim who has probably never dealt with a court system at all. There are ["There are" is an awkward phrase if "there" is not clearly a location] Victims’ Advocates they are to provide the victim with the process and resources that are available to them. The advocate is there to answer any questions and concerns that he or she may have. There are [Avoid "there is," etc.] critical stages that payout within the criminal justice process that the victim must become aware of. Some of these process include the following: Filing of charges and/or [This awkward construction is a shortcut appropriate in a legal document, not in academic writing] the decision not to file charges, preliminary hearing, any bond reduction or modification of the hearing, arraignment hearing, any subpoenas for the victim’s mental health, medical or victims compensations records, trial, sentencing, appellate review or appellate decision, sentencing reconsideration, probation hearing, change of venue or transfer of probation officer, any hearings related to parole. One of the resources for a victim is the Victims’ Compensation Fund. This is a fund provided through the state attorney’s office. This grant allows the state to provide money to the victim to help them relocate, whether it is locally or to another
As Americans in the United States we [Use "we," "us," or "our" to mean yourself and coauthors, not general humanity (or yourself and the reader)] are entitled [The passive voice is a form of "be" (are) and a participle (entitled). Over-use of the passive voice can make paragraphs tedious to read and officious. Try to use the active voice most often, e.g., the student completed the …show more content…
They provided information to the victim so they would understand how the criminal justice system worked so they would be aware of the process and rights they hold. Once a crime is committed [Passive voice] and is reported [Passive voice] to law enforcement officials, the criminal process will begin. The justice system is a confusing process for a victim who has probably never dealt with a court system at all. There are ["There are" is an awkward phrase if "there" is not clearly a location] Victims’ Advocates they are to provide the victim with the process and resources that are available to them. The advocate is there to answer any questions and concerns that he or she may have. There are [Avoid "there is," etc.] critical stages that payout within the criminal justice process that the victim must become aware of. Some of these process include the following: Filing of charges and/or [This awkward construction is a shortcut appropriate in a legal document, not in academic writing] the decision not to file charges, preliminary hearing, any bond reduction or modification of the hearing, arraignment hearing, any subpoenas for the victim’s mental health, medical or victims compensations records, trial, sentencing, appellate review or appellate decision, sentencing reconsideration, probation hearing, change of venue or transfer of probation officer, any hearings related to parole. One of the resources for a victim is the Victims’ Compensation Fund. This is a fund provided through the state attorney’s office. This grant allows the state to provide money to the victim to help them relocate, whether it is locally or to another