Criminal Justice

Janet Donaldson, a resident of California, was arrested last night as a result of a drug bust. She was in her own home making dinner for her children when the police broke down her door. Her boyfriend was in the living room, and she was in the kitchen. Her name alone is on the lease, but the boyfriend has been living in the home with her for the last year. The police found several ounces of cocaine, packaging material, scales, and a large amount of currency in small denominations in the bedroom Janet shared with her boyfriend. He was arrested as well. The cocaine was in a dresser drawer, but the rest of the items were on the bed in plain view. They were both charged with possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute it.

Your paper should include: how Janet’s case would progress through the criminal justice system, from arrest to final appeal. Focus on the following factors:

 The interaction between various law enforcement agencies in this case

 Any pretrial hearings that would occur

 Any pretrial motions Janet is likely to file

 How the jury would be selected

 How the trial would be conducted and the points of interaction between the prosecution, defence, judge, and jury

 What specific roles each actor would have at trial

 What rights Janet would have before, during, and after the trial

 How evidence might be elicited at trial, and how the judge would rule on objections

 How the jury would be instructed and render its verdict

 How sentencing would occur, including the evidence presented

 How and where Janet might appeal and the issues that would be important

 How Janet’s case might be different if she would have been 16 at the time of her arrest

 The interaction corrections would have in this case

Tasks:

1. Describe the progression of the case from arrest through trial to verdict. Be sure to cover all points suggested in the project.