STUDY GUIDE FOR EXAM 3

INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE

• What types of cases do federal district courts have jurisdiction over?

• Know the structure of the Texas court system.

• What Texas court handles Class A and B misdemeanors?

• What Texas court would felony cases be filed in?

• What are the two criminal appeals courts in Texas and which has final authority?

• Which court generally has original appellate jurisdiction?

• Do all courts in Texas require the judge to be an attorney? If not, which one(s)?

• Do all courts in Texas require the judge to be elected? If not, which one (s)?

• How many Federal appeals courts are there and which one has jurisdiction over Texas cases?

• How many judges are there in the U.S. Supreme Court and who is the Chief Justice?

• What is a Writ of Certiori?

• By what method does the Supreme Court decide which cases they will hear?

• Know the attorney generals for Texas and the United States and the District Attorney for Bexar County

• What class of cases in Texas are attorney's not appointed to represent the defendant (hint: Class C, B or A misdemeanors or 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd degree felonies?)

• What does release on bail mean?

• Know the main purpose of bail according to Stack v. Boyle

• What is deposit bail?

• What was the main contribution of the Manhattan Project of the Vera Institute of Justice?

• What was the most significant reform of the 1966 Federal Bail Reform Act?

• What does "release on your own recognizance" mean?

• What was the most significant reform of the 1984 Federal Bail Reform Act?

• With regard to grand juries, what does "no bill" and "true bill" mean?

• What significant events take place at the arraignment?

• Which system is used to sort out the truth in America trials? adversarial or inquisitorial?

• What is plea bargaining?

• According to Supreme Court rulings, what type of cases are entitled to a jury trial?

• What percentage of cases that are accepted for prosecution are eventually tried before a jury?

• What benefit does a defendant derive from agreeing to a plea bargain?

• Know the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution.

• What are the size of juries in Texas for both misdemeanor and felony cases?

• Which Supreme Court decision applied the right to a jury trial to the States in serious offenses?

• What automatically disqualifies a person from jury service in Texas?

• Who is the trier of fact and who applies the laws in a jury trial?

• What does voir dire mean?

• What is a Challenge for Cause? and peremptory challenges?

• How many peremptory challenges does a Texas lawyer get? (there are three situations)

• Are there any restrictions on the use of peremptory challenges? If yes, what are they?

• Who is the trier of fact in a jury trial and who interprets the law?

• Which party makes the opening statement in a jury trial?

• What is hearsay evidence?

• What is circumstantial evidence and can a jury convict based on it?

• What is the term used to describe the criminal trial system in which the guilty phase and punishment phase are two separate procedures?

• What does "charge to the jury" mean?

• What does directed verdict mean?

• Know each of the four sentencing schemes. (Hint: indeterminate sentence, etc.)

• Know the four primary goals of punishment? (Hint: deterrence, rehabilitation,etc.)

• What are sentencing guidelines?

• What is mandatory sentencing ?

• Which Supreme Court case resulted in a moratorium on executions in 1972.

• Know what specific and general deterrence perspectives on crime mean.

• Know why rehabilitation became unpopular in the past 20 years.

• Know the order of a jury trial that we studied in class.