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Roles in the Court
Every court system has a judge, a prosecutor and a defense attorney, all who contribute to the attainment of justice in every case. In the court of law, the judge usually presides over the proceedings of cases the court of law and ensures that justice is done. He oversees the happenings in the court of law to ensure that there is order (Neubauer & Meinhold, 2012). This way he determines and controls the hearing and trials in the courts as they unfold. He also evaluates the evidence presented by the parties involved in the case to tell if they pertain as per the law of the country. It is also the role of the judge to give jury instructions about the case on the laws that should be applied and the standard basis to which it must be based on when the deciding the fate of the case (Bergman & Berman-Barrett, 2009).
He is the key determiner of how the case will end. This is because it is the role of the judge to determine the facts and decides who is guilty. The judge has the mandate to fine or jail the convicted criminal defender and also ensure that justice is applied to the one who was wronged either by being compensated or the other way as per the need of the wronged one (Bergman & Berman-Barrett, 2009). He also has the mandate as well as a role to decide whether the case is valid or not. However, this decision depends on the nature of the case. It’s also a role of the judge to postpone the hearing if the conditions of the courtroom get hostile for the normal court proceedings to take place.
The prosecutor is another key person in the court process. It is the role of the prosecutor to ensure that the court does not make any error in interpreting the evidence and case files (Baum, 2012). This is important because such errors may lead to the case being appealed. He also ensures that the court is aware of the range within which the decision on sentencing should operate in. In times of seeking assistance with the decision to be made on the case, he is the one to refer the court to (Neubauer & Meinhold, 2012). He makes the references to either the legislature or any other relevant authority as far as the case is in concern.
The prosecutor ensures that all available evidence is presented before the court for the purpose of sentencing whether it is in favor of the accused or not (Neubauer & Meinhold, 2012). He also ensures that any evidence that may help to determine the appropriate decision as far as sentencing is a concerned is made available to the court. It is the work of the prosecutor to ensure that all the evidence presented concurs with the decision of the court thus ensuring that justice is attained thus just verdict is administered (Cole & Smith. 2010).
The other key player is the defense attorney. The defense attorney helps to prevent the innocents from being punished by the law, either by being jailed or imprisoned innocently (Baum, 2012). He also ensures that the constitutional rights of the defendant are considered. Moreover, the defense attorney makes sure that all due processes are followed to the latter before one is either proclaimed guilty or not (Cole & Smith. 2010).
While the three players in the court perform different roles, they interact in the court process. There is a constant consultation as far as the ensuring justice is being administered by the court. The judge, when passing the wrong verdict is a work of the prosecutor to intervene for further clarification and consultation concerning the issue (Baum, 2012). A mistake done in the process of the court process may cause either the defense attorney or the prosecutor to intervene to ensure that the law is followed to the latter.
References
Baum, L. (2012). American Courts: Process and Policy. New York: Cengage Learning
Bergman, P., & Berman-Barrett, S. (2009). The criminal law handbook. Pleasanton, CA: NOLO Publishing
Cole, G., & Smith, C. (2010). The American system of criminal justice. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning
Neubauer, D., & Meinhold, S. (2012). Judicial Process: Law, Courts, and Politics in the United States. New York: Cengage Learning