One Case Two Systems A Comparative View Of American And German Criminal Justice Systems

Using California as the model for the adversarial system and Germany as the model for the inquisitorial system, this innovative work seeks to add a new dimension to the comparative study of criminal justice. The basic idea is contained in the title, One Case--Two Systems. Containing the first ever side-by-side portrayals of full American and German trials, the book views a single case through two separate lenses--one American, one German. Returning home unexpectedly from a vacation in the country, an elderly man interrupts a night time burglary in his own house and is attacked as the burglar tries to escape. By portraying an ordinary crime--a burglary that turns into a robbery--rather than a dramatic, high-profile murder, the book provides a detailed, working picture of the two systems and the contrasts between them. Allowing the reader to observe and compare the formal steps that cases go through in the two systems, it brings the work of the police, the prosecution, the defense, and the courts to life - by giving thoughts and reasons as well as actions. Even the most critical documents are included. Designed to illustrate the most important differences between the two systems, the country chapters first portray the California investigation and prosecution and then take the same case through the German system. Often seeing eye-to-eye but sometimes diverging sharply, the two sets of comments focus on the critical issues depicted in the country chapters--seeking to explain the similarities, differences, and peculiarities of the two systems. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.

Building on the emerging principle that no organism as complex as a criminal justice system can be well understood solely through an analysis of one or two features, the book introduces the unique perspective of a new, more holistic, case-oriented method of comparison. Using California as the model for the adversarial system and Germany as the model for the inquisitorial system, it seeks to add a new dimension to the comparative study of criminal justice. The basic idea is contained in the title, 'One Case-Two Systems'. Containing the first ever side-by-side portrayals of full American and German trials, the book views a single case through two separate lenses -- one American, one German. Returning home unexpectedly from a vacation in the country, an elderly man interrupts a night time burglary in his own house and is attacked as the burglar tries to escape. By portraying an ordinary crime -- a burglary that turns into a robbery -- rather than a dramatic, high-profile murder, the book provides a detailed, working picture of the two systems and the contrasts between them. Allowing the reader to observe and compare the formal steps that cases go through in the two systems, it brings the work of the police, the prosecution, the defense, and the courts to life -- by giving thoughts and reasons as well as actions. Even the most critical documents are included. Designed to illustrate the most important differences between the two systems, the country chapters first portray the California investigation and prosecution and then take the same case through the German system. Investigation, arrest, detention, charging, lawyer discussions and negotiations, the defense attorney-defendant relationship, court hearings, the witnesses' testimony, and the court's rulings -- all are included. Comparative comments follow -- first from a German and then from an American point of view. Often seeing eye-to-eye but sometimes diverging sharply, the two sets of comments focus on the critical issues depicted in the country chapters -- seeking to explain the similarities, differences, and peculiarities of the two systems.

This Handbook presents innovative research that compares different criminal procedure systems by focusing on the mechanisms by which legal systems seek to avoid error, protect rights, ground their legitimacy, expand lay participation in the criminal process and develop alternatives to criminal trials, such as plea bargaining, as well as alternatives to the criminal process as a whole, such as intelligence operations. The criminal procedures examined in this book include those of the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Russia, India, Latin America, Taiwan and Japan, among others.

The book compares the bargaining practice in the United States and Germany, it displays differences and similarities, also taking historical as well as legal and cultural aspects into consideration. The author shows that bargaining in both countries is highly influenced by the respective legal systems - common and civil law. The study also pays attention to current developments, changes and proposed legislation.

Summary: "Written by seasoned scholars and practitioners, this collection of essays provides a most comprehensive analysis of the institutional dynamics and political underpinnings of international criminal justice. They explore and provide critical comment on the main institutional difficulties experienced by International Tribunals."--Publisher description.

The Oxford Handbook of Criminal Process surveys the topics and issues in the field of criminal process, including the laws, institutions, and practices of the criminal justice administration. The process begins with arrests or with crime investigation such as searches for evidence. It continues through trial or some alternative form of adjudication such as plea bargaining that may lead to conviction and punishment, and it includes post-conviction events such as appeals and various procedures for addressing miscarriages of justice. Across more than 40 chapters, this Handbook provides a descriptive overview of the subject sufficient to serve as a durable reference source, and more importantly to offer contemporary critical or analytical perspectives on those subjects by leading scholars in the field. Topics covered include history, procedure, investigation, prosecution, evidence, adjudication, and appeal.

It is often said that criminal procedure should ensure that the defendant is a subject, not just an object, of proceedings. This book asks to what extent this can be said to be true of international criminal trials. The first part of the book aims to find out the extent to which defendants before international criminal courts are able to take an active part in their trials. It takes an in-depth look at the procedural regimes of international courts, viewed against a benchmark provided by national provisions representing the main traditions of criminal procedure and by international human rights law. The results of this comparative endeavour are then used to shed light, from a practical point of view, on the oft-debated question whether (international) criminal trials should be used as a tool for writing history or whether, as claimed by Martti Koskenniemi, pursuing this goal leads to a danger of “show trials”.

This book presents a short history and timeline of criminal procedure legislation in China. First, it addresses the status of Human Rights Conventions and the challenges resulting from human rights standards for Chinese criminal procedural law and practice. The discussion then moves on to explore the fundaments of Chinese criminal procedure such as the applicable law found in the Chinese CPL (Criminal Procedure Law) and legal institutions. The book covers relevant actors in the Chinese Criminal Justice System (ie judges, prosecutors, police, defence councils) as well as the relationships between them. It also includes topics relating to the victims of crime and their role in criminal proceedings. Starting with pre-trial investigations (extending in particular to coercive measures and discretionary powers in the implementation of non-prosecution policies) the book continues as a guide through the basic principles of criminal trial, standards of evidence and rules related to conviction. Appeals and the issue of reopening criminal proceedings are also considered, with the book making particular reference to a number of special procedures (including juvenile delinquency) in the closing chapter.