Criminal Justice to Courtroom Process - Essay Example

Criminal Justice to Courtroom Process Criminal Justice to Courtroom Process The missing of Caylee Marie Anthony was reported on 15 July 2008, to the police 9-1-1 by her grandmother who she was living with, together with her mother and grandfather. Cindy, the grandmother, reported that Casey Marie Anthony could not be traced for a whole month. She said that her car smelled of a dead body. On her side, Casey gave various versions of Caylee’s whereabouts to the detectives (Colarossi, 2011), among them that she had been kidnapped by a certain nanny early in June.

She said she had made all attempts to find her but in vain, arguing that she feared informing the relevant authorities. Later on in December, while the child was still missing she was charged with first-degree murder. On this, she pleaded not guilty. On 11 December, the same year, the remains of Caylee’s skeleton were found wrapped in a blanked, in a wooded area, near their home area (Michael, 2011). The first arrest of Casey occurred on 16 July 2008. The following day, she was charged with counts of hindering a criminal investigation, telling lies to the law enforces and the neglect of her child (Corarossi, 2011).

The judge refused her bail, because of negligence in the welfare of her child, and she served one-month sentence, to be released later on bond, on August 21, 2008 (William, 2011). The remains of the skeleton of Caylee’s body were reported to the police on 11th august, 2008. The subsequent search did not yield any results, until they were later found on 11 December, the same year. She was indicted on 14 October, with the murder and falsehood charges, by the jury and was then arrested. She was aligned in court on the 28 of the same month, where she pleaded not guilty to all charges (Corarossi, 2011).

The selection of the juries took longer than expected and ended on May 2011. The juries were brought from other counties, owing to the gravity of the case. They were required to avoid out influence, by information outside the courtroom. At the close of the case, she was sentenced to one year in the county jail and a fee of $ 1,000 for each of the four counts (William, 2011). The trial of this case lasted for a period of six weeks, during which the prosecution team wanted Casey to be handed a death penalty for the murder of her daughter, through administering chloroform and later putting a duct tape in her mouth (Corarossi, 2011).

This, they alleged was done to give her the freedom she desired. On their side, the defense team defended her, arguing that her daughter had drowned in a swimming pool at their home. They said that she lied to the investigative team about her daughter’s death because her upbringing was inappropriate, having her father sexually abusing her. Though the defense had no evidence to present, regarding the death of Caylee or sexual abuse of Casey, they challenged the prosecution’s evidence bit by bit, which they termed as fabricated (Colarossi, 2011).

Later, on July 5, the judgment given found the accused not to be guilty of murder. However, she was found with some four accounts of misdemeanor (William, 2011). These accounts were found on the basis that Casey provided false information to the law enforcing officers (Corarossi, 2011). Casey was released on 17 July. However, this did not satisfy the public, who argued that justice had not prevailed. The legal team was divided on whether the verdict was suitable or not. This happened to be the same with the media fraternity William, 2011).

There was an attack on both the defense and the prosecution, with the defense being accused of basing its ground on the bad morals of the accused, while the prosecution was accused of not being able to present tangible evidence of how the victim died. The defendant would have benefited more from a bench trial, than it happened on the jury trial. This is because; the time it took to select the jury was long. If the case entailed the bench trial, the whole thing would have taken a shorter period than it did, from its inception in 2008, to when it was concluded in 2011 (Campbell, 1990).

The bench trial would have been advantageous some more, in that it only entails one judge, who finds the facts and interprets the law. This means that there would not have been any influences, from the other juries in the determination of the case. The diversionary views involved in the group setting would have been eliminated. However, the bench trial is not free form demerits. The first being, (Liston, 2011) the sole fact-finding by the sole judge sitting on the bench may not be conclusive.

The presence of others in the process ensures that all aspects of the case are put on the table and analyzed to the letter. The sole interpretation of the law can also be inadequate. The presence of the other juries ensures the complete interpretation, thus minimizing the chances of petitions and appeals. References Campbell, H. (1990). Black's Law Dictionary, 6th ed. St. Paul, West Publishing Michael, W. (2011). Casey Anthony now owes $ 217K for Caylee’s search, USA Today Colarossi, A. (2011).

Casey Anthony Trial costs: How much she will pay depend on the Judge. , Orlando Sentinel. Liston, B. (2011). The Diversionary View: Casey Anthony’s case becomes an attraction to many people. Reuters. William, B. (2011). Why the Casey Anthony’s case needs the foreign juries. New York Times.