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Prosecutors play a pivotal role in criminal justice and work closely with law enforcement officials, judges, defense attorneys, probation and parole officers, victims services, human services, and to a lesser extent, with jail and other corrections officers.
This view of the judge, though accurate to some degree, is misleading for at least two reasons. First, although the judge clearly plays an important role—in many cases, the lead role—in state and federal criminal courts, other actors play significant supporting roles.
Court structure varies from the courthouse to the courthouse, but frequently court staff is divided into units. For example, staff may be assigned to work in the criminal unit, the civil unit, the traffic unit, the small claims unit, the juvenile unit, the family unit, or the probate unit.
Are efforts appropriately targeted? Do they teach the right content? How much content is remembered? How much do current professional development efforts impact court performance? It is time for court associations, training providers, and court systems to reexamine and, if necessary, reinvent judicial branch development programs.
Judges and magistrates play a vital role in the criminal justice system. Criminal cases come to court after a decision has been made by, usually the Crown Prosecution Service, to prosecute someone for an alleged crime.
Although the American criminal justice system is said to represent the adversarial model, the reality is that prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges and court staff work with cooperation and consensus rather than conflict.
The Judge. The federal judge who presides in the courtroom may be an Article III Judge or a Magistrate Judge, depending on the type of case. The judge rules on issues of law that come up in trial. The judge decides on the verdict if it’s a bench trial. District judges determine the appropriate punishment and sentence those convicted of crimes.
