Intro to Criminal Justice

Heather E Dahl

Intro to Criminal Justice

02/02/2012

Stages of a Criminal Trial

Strayer University

Currie Gauvreau

There are many stages to a criminal trial. We have the initial arrest, custody/bail, arraignment,

plea bargain, preliminary hearing, pre-trial motions, trial, sentencing, appeal, and expungement.

Each stage of the criminal trial is very important and plays a huge part in the outcome of the trial.

I have always been interested in the Sentencing part of the trial, and how we come up with or

determine how long an individual is to be sentenced for. It is interesting to me that a person can

commit a crime of rape and get 2 to 3 years and another sells drugs and gets 20 to life. I have

learned that there are many different things to consider when figuring out a sentence for the

defendant. In cases involving misdemeanors and less serious crimes, the judge usually imposes

a sentence immediately after a conviction or guilty plea. In more serious and complex criminal

cases, the judge may consider input from the prosecutor, criminal-defense lawyer and probation

department before deciding on an appropriate sentence.

The judge will generally also take into account punishments and sentencing ranges noted in

state statutes and factors related to each specific case. These factors may include: The

defendant’s criminal history, The nature of the crime, how it was committed and the impact it

had on the victims; The defendant’s personal, economic and social circumstances; and The

defendant’s expression of regret or remorse for the crime.

I still have trouble even with all of these facts to sentencing, understanding why we push

such hard...