Tried and Convicted

Michael  D. Cicchini

doi:10.5771/9781442217195

Tried and Convicted

How Police, Prosecutors, and Judges Destroy Our Constitutional Rights

1. Edition 2012

No access

doi.org/10.5771/9781442217195
ISBN print: 978-1-4422-1717-1
ISBN online: 978-1-4422-1719-5
Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham

Buy in store

Abstract

When an individual is accused of a crime he is provided, at least in theory, with numerous constitutional rights throughout the legal process. These constitutional rights, however, are soft and flexible, and are subject to a tremendous amount of manipulation by police, prosecutors, and judges. The result is that these government agents are easily able to bypass, and in fact destroy, our constitutional protections.

This abuse of our fundamental rights is extremely dangerous. Far from being mere technicalities, constitutional rights benefit all citizens, not just the factually guilty, in ways that go unappreciated by most of us. In today’s hyper-vigilant, tough-on-crime climate, many good people from all walks of life find themselves charged with serious crimes for behaving in ways that most of us would be shocked to learn are criminal. For these reasons, it is in all of our interests to ensure strong constitutional safeguards for everyone.

Tried and Convicted explains several individual constitutional rights that are intended to protect us from the vagaries of the criminal justice system, and gives detailed examples of how government agents routinely circumvent those rights. It also exposes the underlying problems that enable government agents to circumvent the constitution, and concludes by offering potential solutions to these problems. Using real life examples throughout, Cicchini provides a wake-up call for all of us.

Chapter Expand | CollapsePage
i–xiv Preface i–xiv
- Table of Contents
- Disclaimer—Read This First!
- Introduction: Our Constitution
1–8 1 “How the Hell Did I Wind Up Here?” 1–8
9–16 2 The Nature of Constitutional Rights 9–16
17–22 3 “How Can You Defend Those People?” 17–22
23–34 4 Self-Incrimination 23–34
35–46 5 Privacy 35–46
47–60 6 Confrontation 47–60
61–72 7 Taking a Step Back 61–72
73–82 8 You Have the Right to a (Speedy) Trial 73–82
83–94 9 A Fair and Impartial Jury of Your Peers? 83–94
95–104 10 Judicial Bias 95–104
105–118 11 Prosecutor Misconduct and the “Harmless Error” 105–118
119–128 12 Plea Bargaining 119–128
129–136 13 Sentencing 129–136
137–146 14 You Have the Right to the (Effective) Assistance of Counsel 137–146
147–154 15 Moving Forward 147–154
155–156 Further Reading 155–156
157–158 Index 157–158
159–159 About the Author 159–159

Durchsuchen Sie das Werk

Geben Sie ein Keyword in die Suchleiste ein