Criminal Law

There has been a murder in which it is clear that a person riding a mountain bike on the side of a dirt country road was intentionally struck down by a suspect. The suspect then stepped out of his or her vehicle and shot the biker. A witness riding an ATV heard the shot and came on the scene just in time to see the suspect kick the victim hard a couple of times, presumably to determine if he or she was dead. You have executed a warrant for the shoes of the driver/shooter and obtained the shoes worn by the suspect for examination. Select a pair of shoes from your personal wardrobe, or borrow a pair from someone else. It is important that you select shoes that are at least 6 months old and are worn often (new shoes will not have much evidence on them. Using a household magnifying glass and a strong white light source—either a desk lamp or flashlight—closely examine the pair of shoes you selected. Identify 3 or 4 items from the soles of the shoes, and explain how you conducted your examination, the type of items you found, their possible significance to the crime scene, and how you would recover and package the evidence you found.

Answer the fallowing question: Imagine a 22-year-old male offender named Mike (or Mikaela) with a history of drug abuse and joblessness who has three previous convictions for burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and who has been most recently convicted of armed robbery of a convenience store. Of the five goals/justifications of criminal punishment discussed in the course, deterrence, retribution, rehabilitation, incapacitation, and reintegration, explain which goal/goals you believe should be pursued by the criminal justice system and why. Explain your answer by providing supporting evidence for goals that should be pursued and evidence against goals you believe should not be pursued.

There has been a murder in which it is clear that a person riding a mountain bike on the side of a dirt country road was intentionally struck down by a suspect. The suspect then stepped out of his or her vehicle and shot the biker. A witness riding an ATV heard the shot and came on the scene just in time to see the suspect kick the victim hard a couple of times, presumably to determine if he or she was dead. You have executed a warrant for the shoes of the driver/shooter and obtained the shoes worn by the suspect for examination. Select a pair of shoes from your personal wardrobe, or borrow a pair from someone else. It is important that you select shoes that are at least 6 months old and are worn often (new shoes will not have much evidence on them. Using a household magnifying glass and a strong white light source—either a desk lamp or flashlight—closely examine the pair of shoes you selected. Identify 3 or 4 items from the soles of the shoes, and explain in a 3–5-page paper how you conducted your examination, the type of items you found, their possible significance to the crime scene, and how you would recover and package the evidence you found.

For a number of years, the New York City Police Department engaged in a “stop, question and frisk” policy that drew widespread criticism.  Research and evaluate this policy and discuss the pros and cons of the practice.  Your submission should address your evaluation of the intended purpose of the policy and identify and assess any unintended consequences that resulted. Your paper must be four (4) pages in length with at least five (5) references.

Develop a Problem Statement for a Current Criminal Justice Issue. For this assignment, write a letter to your senator discussing a criminal justice issue that is affecting your area. Your local newspaper will be a great source to help you identify the issues. In your letter, be sure to address the following: What is the problem? Where is the problem? Who does it affect? What is the prevalence of the problem What would you like to see happen to address the issue? Use evidence, court cases, criminal justice policy, or any item to support your stance and strengthen your argument. Include a minimum of one newspaper article.

A general strain theory was proposed by Robert Agnew. In this theory, he proposed that strain did not arise when people had a failure to meet the American Dream, but that everyone, in every social class, had frustrations in his or her daily life. Most strain theorists listed failure to achieve goals as a major strain precipitator. Agnew had identified two additional sources of strain: presentation of noxious stimuli and removal of positively valued stimuli. Examples of presentation of noxious stimuli would be an abusive parent, an overly critical instructor, and an overly demanding employer. Examples of the removal of positively valued stimuli would be losing a job, getting a divorce, and filing for bankruptcy.

A simple formula may be used to determine the admissibility of evidence: Admissible Evidence = Authenticity + Relevancy + Competency Please explain what is meant by authenticity, relevancy, and competency.  Explain how evidence may be relevant and authentic, but may not be admissible because of Constitutional concerns that render the evidence incompetent.

The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA) is an Act signed by United States Congress on April 24, 1996. The bill was introduced as part of Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America, passed with such strong bipartisan support by Congress following the Oklahoma City bombing, and signed into law by the United States President Bill Clinton.

The Supreme Court has held that the Sixth Amendment right to counsel requires police to secure a valid waiver of the right to counsel or see to it that counsel is present at any pre-trial “critical stage” of a criminal prosecution.  Referring to the Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966) case, discuss how the Court applied  the requirements of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel to custodial interrogation.

The constitutional rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights are most highly protected during the trial stage of a criminal proceeding. This is when the adversarial process, which characterizes the U.S. criminal justice process, is at its peak. Use the Strayer Online Library ) to research, identify, and discuss a criminal case from within the last three years. Analyze and evaluate the steps which brought the individual to trial beginning with the arrest phase of the process. Write a 4- to 6-page paper in which you: Summarize the events leading up to the arrest and identify and discuss the four elements of the arrest related to this case. Identify the four requirements for search and seizure with a warrant and describe how the search and seizure process was carried out for this case. Explain the various aspects of the plain view doctrine and describe how this is relevant to this case. Compare and contrast the various means of identifying suspects and describe the process used in this case. Summarize the basic constitutional rights of the accused during trial. Use at least five quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other similar websites do not qualify as academic resources. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: This course requires use of new Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details. Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow SWS or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: Critically debate the constitutional safeguards of key amendments with specific attention to the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 14th Amendments. Explain and debate fundamental Supreme Court cases associated with criminal procedure. Define and describe Constitutional laws and associated court procedures. Explain and debate fundamental Supreme Court cases associated with criminal procedure.