p. 393. In court and on trial
- Julian V. Roberts
‘In court and on trial’ outlines the procedures once a trial date has been set. There is considerable variation in terms of the nature of the decision-maker—judge or jury—as well as the ways that the adjudicator is appointed. In almost all countries, prosecutors and judges are appointed, but in many US states they are elected. The jury decides questions of fact, whereas the judge decides matters of law. There are now specialist courts, such as drug treatment courts and juvenile courts, which focus on one particular form of offending and adopt a ‘problem-solving’ approach. What happens when criminal justice fails? Wrongful convictions and wrongful acquittals are also discussed.