Essay about Crimes and Verdicts

Submitted By atcaw94
Words: 1438
Pages: 6
Open Document
CRIMES AND VERDICTS
PROFESSOR TIMOTHY KELLY
INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
MAY 29, 2014

I have chosen the State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman as the first part of this paper. Why was Zimmerman charged and tried at the state level, and then face the possibility of Federal charges? Is this not “double jeopardy”? The court that will try a case is decided by jurisdiction, jurisdiction being defined as “(1) the legal authority of a court to hear and decide a certain type of case; (2) the geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases “ (Definitions, n.d.). Also we must clarify state and federal jurisdiction. Federal court jurisdiction is limited to the types of cases listed in the Constitution and specifically provided for by Congress. For the most part, federal courts only hear cases in which the United States is a party and cases involving violations of the U.S. Constitution or federal laws. There are others, but those are the ones relevant to this paper. State courts have much broader jurisdiction, they preside over cases most individual citizens would be involved in and most criminal cases involve violations of state law and are thus tried in state court. Being as Zimmerman was charged with second degree murder, he was tried in a state court. Zimmerman was found not guilty by the jury, so case closed, correct? U.S. Attorney General Holder stated that after the trial that the Federal Government would investigate the possibility of charging Zimmerman with a civil rights violation, or the Federal “hate crime” law. The two statutes that he could be charges with are 18 U.S.C 245 and 18 U.S.C. 249. Section 249, the more explicit law, states it criminalizes violence “"because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin of any person" (Adams, 2013). So technically, this would not be “double jeopardy” because Zimmerman would be charged with a different crime, a Federal crime, from the same incident. With that said, it is a far reach to charge him with a hate crime when there was no evidence in the state trial that his actions against Martin were “because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin”. In addition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation concluded that there is no evidence of Zimmerman acting based on racial motivation. I believe the Federal investigation was a direct act to appease certain groups outraged over the result of the state trial. In my research, it was the majority opinion that there is insufficient evidence to charge Zimmerman with any Federal crime. My final thought is this, if Zimmerman is charged with a federal crime, is not the federal government saying in a way, the jury in the state trial got it wrong?
Robert H. Richards IV, the wealthy heir to the du Pont family fortune, was convicted of raping his infant daughter, yet will spend no time in prison. Although convicted in 2009 in Delaware, the case was kept quiet until Richards former wife filed a lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court in 2014 on behalf of their children alleging "personal injuries arising from the childhood sexual abuse." She alleges that Richards not only abused their daughter, but also admitted to abusing their infant son (Conlon & Gallman, 2014). Despite being sentenced to eight years, the judge suspended the sentence stating "defendant will not fare well" in prison. Richards instead received eight years’ probation, ordered to receive treatment, and was registered as a sex offender. Richards was originally indicted on two counts of second-degree rape of a child, punishable by ten years in prison for each count. But as part of a plea agreement days before his 2008 trial, Richards pleaded guilty to fourth-degree rape -- reportedly a Class C violent felony that can bring up to 15 years in prison, though guidelines suggest zero to 2 1/2 years (Crimesider, 2014). uperior Court Judge Jan Jurden suggested that she considered unique circumstances, and that
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Crimes and Verdicts

Essay On Jury Decision Making

formation impression and how representative heuristics impact upon final verdict • Talk about current study and why it is important to conduct a study about stereotypes associated with type of crime, gender and potential likelihood of guilt • Dean suggest that men are typically found to be guilty compared to women, men always seem to pertain to a schema and women are more likely to be found guilty of committing gender stereotypical crimes The analysis of other research undertaken by separate studies about…

Words 509 - Pages 3

The O. J. Simpson Cases

Simpson definitely caused tensions between African Americans and Americans. In the article by Julia Zorthian, “How the O.J. Simpson Verdict Changed the way We All Watch TV”, Zorthian explains how others feel about the trial as well as the amount of people watching the trial impact News outlets. Zorthian states, “Many thought this was an example of another black man who had been unfairly…

Words 1052 - Pages 5

Stages of Criminal and Civil Proceedings Essay

instructions on what questions they must consider relevant, he also explains the relevant law and how it is tied to the case. The jury is now sent to the jury room to carefully consider all the evidence and reach a verdict. The jury must come up with a unanimous verdict. When the verdict is read the judge then decides (depending on who wins the case) what the amount of the judgment will be. This is the amount of money the plaintiff will receive from the defendant. If the losing party chooses…

Words 1588 - Pages 7

The Implications of Insanity Defense Essay

his actions were the result of a mental disorder during the time of the offense. This differs from a not guilty plea in that the defendant admits to the crimes, but requests the court not to hold him responsible for the actions. Another notable difference is that finding the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity does not mean offering a verdict of acquittal. Rather, the courts confine defendants who are legally insane to psychiatric hospitals for indefinite periods. Insanity defense The use…

Words 1292 - Pages 6

Lamb To The Slaughter 'And' Gentlemen, Just Lather That's All

Gentlemen, Your Verdict by Michael Bruce. In the works: Lamb to the Slaughter, Just Lather, That’s All and Gentlemen, Your Verdict each protagonist has a similar conflict they are faced with. Each problem relates to murder, each protagonist must make an important decision, and each conflict is not completely resolved. In the short story Lamb to the Slaughter, a woman murders her husband after she finds out that he is leaving her for another woman. This story demonstrates a crime of passion for the…

Words 553 - Pages 3

Trial of O.J.Simpson Essay

Introduction The double-murder trial of O.J. Simpson is surely one that will live in infamy. From the controversial “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit” phrase coined by his superstar attorney Johnnie Cochran to the jaw-dropping verdict of not guilty this case has made its mark in history. In 1994 Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death. With no other obvious suspects, Brown-Simpson’s husband Orenthal James Simpson became the object of law enforcement’s…

Words 2136 - Pages 9

John Hinckley Case Guilty

the crime. This case sparked nationwide debate about the insanity defense, and ultimately led to many states instituting changes to it. One of these major changes was the introduction of the “Guilty But Mentally Ill” verdict which results in the offender being sent to prison and psychologically evaluated. If it is deemed that the person needs treatment, they will be hospitalized and returned to prison upon discharge from the hospital. Four states adopted this due to the Hinckley case verdict. Another…

Words 265 - Pages 2

Examples Of Jury Nullification

A jury nullification occurs when the jury returns a not guilty verdict although they believe the defendant is technically guilty of the committing the charged crime (FindLaw, n.d.). An example of jury nullification dates back to the 1800s when juries refused to convict defendants charged with a violation of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Individuals were brought before the court for aiding escaped slaves, consequently, in the northern parts of the United States jurors took a stand against the law…

Words 608 - Pages 3

Sade Paper

Assignment 2: Trials and Verdicts Student: Sade Green Professor: KARINA ARZUMANOVA Introduction to Criminal Justice May 23, 2015 TRIALS AND VERDICTS PAGE 1 Our Criminal Justice System is a complex one. When crime is committed, law enforcement arrest the offender and in most cases holds them until they are seen by a judge. The period between an arrest and arraignment is also known as the pretrial procedures; this is a very important part of the justice process. At this time, the biggest majority…

Words 955 - Pages 4

Prejudice In Twelve Angry Men

expose the prejudices that are brought into the courtroom by a jury. In the 1997 the defendant is portrayed as a Latino man. It is revealed that he lives in the slums of New York. Many racial and socioeconomic prejudices that play into the jurors’ verdicts. Juror #10 often refers to the defendant as “one of them”, saying that to “them”…

Words 581 - Pages 3