Posted: February 26th, 2023

Explain the processes and procedures used in courts

Competency

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:

• Explain the processes and procedures used in courts

Scenario

You are a Community Outreach Coordinator for your local chapter of the

National Criminal Justice Association

(NCJA). A recent study found that people in your area are often unsure of court processes, procedures, and outcomes. As a result, they often are not able to make informed decisions at this critical time in their lives. Using this published research, you have applied for and been awarded a small grant to create community outreach materials to educate the public about court processes.

Directions

The community outreach materials you create should show your knowledge of the following criteria. A template and other possible presentation formats are included in the

Supporting Materials

section.

• Describe how a defendant moves through the criminal justice system from arrest to sentencing. In 150–200 words, address movement from one step of the process to the next for each of the following:

  Arrest
  Arraignment
  Pretrial hearing
  Bail
  Trial
  Verdict
  Sentencing
  Appeal

• Describe alternative processes and their impact on the criminal court system. In 150–200 words, address each of the following:

  Plea bargains
  Restorative justice principles

• Describe the function of juries in the trial process. In 150–200 words, address each of the following:

  Civil cases

  How is this type of jury selected?
  What is the responsibility of this type of jury?

  Criminal cases

  How is this type of jury selected?
  What is the responsibility of this type of jury?

• Describe the impact of specific sentencing guidelines. In 150–200 words, address each of the following:

  Why do sentencing guidelines exist?
  Identify 2–3 examples of sentencing guidelines.
  Describe the effects of each of the sentence guidelines you identified.

What to Submit

To complete this project, you must submit the following:

Educational Material
For this project, choose the format that works best for you. Please note there is no requirement related to the way you show your knowledge, as long as you meet the rubric requirements by following the directions.

We have created the following optional template to aid you in completing this project:

If you prefer to create different community outreach materials, consider creating one of the following:

• Infographic (See the Supporting Materials section.)
• Video for a website
• Other handout

If you choose from the above list, make sure your format can include all of the rubric requirements explained in detail in the Directions section.

Supporting Materials

The following resource(s) may help support your work on the project:

Project Two Template Word Document
This template can be used to create your community outreach materials.

Website:

Piktochart

This website can be used to easily make an infographic or visual.

CJ 207 Project Two Template

Complete this template by replacing the bracketed text with the relevant information.

Moving Through the Criminal Justice System

[Insert text.]

Alternative Processes and Impact

Alternative Processes

Description of Process

Impact on Criminal Court System

Plea Bargains

[Insert text.]

[Insert text.]

Restorative Justice Principles

[Insert text.]

[Insert text.]

Function of Juries

Types of Cases

How This Jury Is Selected

Responsibility of This Type Of Jury

Civil Cases

[Insert text.]

[Insert text.]

Criminal Cases

[Insert text.]

[Insert text.]

Impact of Specific Sentencing Guidelines

Why Sentencing Guidelines Exist
[Insert text.]

Examples of Sentencing Guidelines

[Insert example 1.]

[Insert example 2.]

[Insert example 3.]

Effects of Sentencing Guidelines

[Insert example 1 effect.]

[Insert example 2 effect.]

[
Optional: Insert example 3 effect.]

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