Law

You are a Victim’s Advocate for persons who have been sexually assaulted.  You have been very effective in recent past cases where police were unable to obtain significant information from victims of sexual assault.  When you provided advocacy service to these victims you discovered that police interviews were done in a manner that indicated they (police) were in charge and that the victim needed to cooperate if he or she was to be believed and wanted anything done about the reported crime. The Chief of Major Crimes has noted that you have been successful in providing information obtained from the victims that were unsuccessfully interviewed by the detectives in the respective investigations. The Chief of Major Crimes wants you to explain why the police interviews of the victims are not successful and what the major crimes detectives can do to increase their effectiveness in interviewing the victims.   Focus your discussion on the following: Prepare a list of the most important factors that police officers should include in their victim interview strategy of those who are reporting they have been sexually assaulted.   Explain why it is important to modify the interview based on the factors that you listed. For more information on Victim Advocate read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=Victim+Advocate&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go&ns0=1

In a well-constructed, one-page essay (500+ words, not including title page and references), discuss the different purposes of contemporary criminal law. Include a section discussing what you see for the future of criminal law. You must provide citations for any sources you utilize in your assignment. For more information on Contemporary Criminal Law read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal?wprov=srpw1_0

You are the Commander of a crime scene investigative (CSI) unit. The unit is only a couple of months old, and the members of the unit are all new and in need of training from the ground up. The Chief of Police requires you to use your experience to establish a training program for the new members of the CSI unit. The Chief requires a proposal from you on what training you will be providing the unit team. The proposal will be in an APA format. No abstract will be required because it is only a short proposal on the first training week—but a title page, reference page, and appropriate running header with page numbers are all necessary. What is the difference between real or physical evidence and testimonial evidence? Provide 5 examples of real or physical evidence that might require an explanation in court by you because you are the one recording, recovering, processing, and packaging the evidence you recovered. Why is real or physical evidence important for the triers of fact (jury)? What is demonstrative evidence, and why is it used to clarify issues in trials? What is the difference between direct evidence and circumstantial evidence? Explain. What is the concept of overwhelming circumstantial evidence? Explain. Can it be enough for a conviction? Why or why not? For more information on Crime, Scene Investigative read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_scene_investigation

-What is the legal process for the U.S. Government to access user data as part of criminal investigations?  For more information on Legal Process read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_process_(jurisprudence)

As you read through the required materials for this week you should come to realize that when approaching and managing a crime scene, each type of physical evidence requires different techniques for identifying, documenting, and collecting that evidence. Using the required readings for this week, choose a specific type of physical evidence. Find two additional credible sources from the Ashford University Library, or another credible source, that relates to your chosen type of evidence. As you complete your post, keep in mind that the chain of custody must be maintained for all evidence. Include the following elements in your initial post: Examine how that type of evidence is recognized and identified at the crime scene. Specify how the position of that type of evidence is documented in relation to the overall crime scene. Specify how that evidence is collected from the crime scene. Discuss any field tests used for your chosen type of evidence. Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length using APA 6th edition formatting. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or credible sources, and properly cite any references. The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment. For more information on Managing A Crime Scene read this: 

Alternatives to Incarceration Overview A recent study illustrates that nearly two million juveniles are processed through juvenile courts across the United States each year. Depending on the nature of the crime, juveniles may face detention or incarceration if they are convicted. Given the fact that many courts are reluctant to incarcerate criminal offenders, judges often consider alternatives to incarceration. The driving force behind these alternatives is to save taxpayer money yet still demand offender accountability and impose sanctions for criminal behavior. In this assignment, you will examine alternatives to incarceration for juveniles. Preparation Use the Internet or the Strayer University databases to research the use of sanctions other than incarceration or detention for juvenile offenders Instructions Write a 2–3 page paper in which you:Examine the underlying historical and economic reasons behind the quest for alternatives to committing juveniles to detention centers. Describe three alternatives to incarceration that juvenile courts currently use. Provide examples of such alternatives in practice to support the response. Discuss the significant societal and individual benefits of imposing sanctions or punishments that do not involve removing an offender from his or her family or community. Use at least three quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources. For more information on Incarceration read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprisonment

Choose a country that utilizes the inquisitorial system and compare it against the system used in the United States. Then, respond to the following: Which system do you think better protects the defendant? Which system seems to have a better chance of getting to the “truth”? Justify. Are there any aspects of the inquisitorial system that could be brought into the adversarial system to improve it? Explain. Should the same system be used for both criminal and civil cases, or would it be better to have one system for criminal matters and the other system for civil matters? Why or why not? For more information on Inquisitorial System read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisitorial_system

THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance Religion and politics have traditionally been highly debated topics in our society. Recently, the Pledge of Allegiance has added to this debate. American citizens have generally recited the Pledge of Allegiance at important ceremonies ranging from presidential inaugurations to the beginning of the school day. The pledge has a great deal of sentimental value to many Americans, but also creates a great deal of controversy for others. Review The History of Legal Challenges to the Pledge of Allegiance by reading the Supreme Court cases Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow and Jane Doe v. Acton-Boxborogh Regional School District, which highlights the debate. Write a 2–3 page paper in which you: Summarize the salient points of the Supreme Court case Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow and Jane Doe v. Acton-Boxborogh Regional School District. Explain the decisions of the Supreme Court in these cases in brief. Discuss whether or not you think public schools should require students to recite the pledge. Why or why not? Provide three quality sources—the textbook may be used as one reference source. For more information on Pledge of Allegiance read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance

The cases of Amanda Knox and Michael Fay offer good opportunities to compare criminal justice systems. Both were young US citizens accused of crimes in other countries. These cases illustrated the differences between the US criminal justice system and those of other nations. Consider such factors as a pretrial release, the burden of proof, right to appeal, and type of punishment. Prepare a report in a 4- to 5-page Microsoft Word document responding to the following questions: What were the alleged crimes involved? Summarize both the cases. Did the court system use an adversarial or inquisitorial method? Explain. What were the final outcomes of the cases? Provide a legal ground for the outcome and justify your answer with appropriate research and reasoning. In what ways did the process differ from how it would have occurred in the United States? In what ways was the process similar to that in the United States? Explain with proper reasoning. Support your responses with examples. For more information on Pretrial Release read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bail

Summarize three Supreme Court decisions that you believe have had the most impact on our society. Provide a rationale for your response. Build on a classmate’s post by asking questions, offering thoughtful ideas, or sharing personal connections. Be sure to demonstrate respect for classmates’ comments. You may choose to use the following additional resource to assist you in completing this discussion: Supreme Court of the United States.