The Court System Class 1

Administrative Give Quiz Return remaining paper proposals

Review – Police and Police Work Police spend small fraction of their time dealing with actual crime Police are not terribly effective when they do deal with crime, either preventing it or solving it Most police work is routine, not very exciting and not terribly dangerous

Today The Myth of the Courts Courts in U.S. History Bail and Pre-trial Detention Race and criminal conviction Key Ideas from Today’s Class

I. The Myth of the Courts What is the Myth of the Court System? Why Do We Believe this Myth? What Damage Does this Myth Do?

II. Courts in U.S. History Colonial America Early United States After 1970

III. Bail and Pre-trial Detention The Bail System Pre-trial Detention Alternatives to Bail

IV. Race and Criminal Convictions Study by the Urban Institute When an African-American shoots a European-American When a European-American shoots an African-American In the states (20) with “stand your ground” laws

V: Key Ideas from Today’s Class Myth of equal justice and accurate outcomes Damage done by the bail system Damage done by pre-trial detention Racial bias in the court system

Next Time Movie – The Plea Snacks? Come early next class so we can start movie

The Court System Class 3

Administrative Return Quizzes Collect Journals

Review Myth of Equal and Effective Justice in Courts Courts in History Bail and Pre-trial detention Race and Criminal Convictions

Today The Plea – a review Plea Bargaining Local Examples The Courtroom Community Courts and Crime Key Ideas from Today’s Class

I. The Plea – a Review The Texas drug bust people Charles Gampero, Jr., who took the plea to killing the fellow outside the bowling ally

I. The Plea – a Review Patsy Kelly Jarrett convicted of the murder in Utica Kerry Max Cook on death row for 22 years

II. Plea Bargaining Term Misleading Vast majority of cases disposed of by plea bargaining

II. Plea Bargaining Plea Bargaining and Bail Eliminating Plea Bargaining

III. Local Examples Christina Gristwood Attack

III. Local Examples Valerie Hill murder

IV. The Court Room Community Nature of Court Room Community Loyalty within the Community Consequences

V. Courts and Crime Could we prevent more crime by the courts being tougher on criminals? Why the demands for tougher sanctions? Accuracy of verdicts

VI: Key Ideas from Today’s Class Most cases resolved by plea bargains Importance of the court-room community Courts getting tougher would not reduce crime We often convict the innocent

Next Time Discussion of the Prison System