Pre-trial Procedures & the Criminal Trial : Lesson 8

Lesson 8 discusses all of the pre-trial persons and procedures including: the names and powers of public prosecutors (including screening cases) as well as their contrast between elected official and crime fighters; the responsibilities of defense attorneys; and three types of defense allocation programs. The students will learn how judge’s decide on setting bail, the requirements of potential jurors, possible defenses, and the protections allotted to criminal defendants. They will be able to list the steps of a criminal jury trial, what “taking the Fifth” means, differences between testimony and evidence, differences between lay witnesses and expert witnesses, and the differences between direct and circumstantial evidence. They will also learn about the steps to an appeal, how both the defense and prosecutors can plea bargain, and how a criminal defendant may be tried for a second time for the same crime.