6) In everyday life, we judge other people not only by what they say but also to some extent by their appearances and their conduct. Do you feel that the demeanor of a witness can and does affect the outcome of a trial? Why or why not? Do you feel it is possible for a witnesses’s demeanor to affect his/her credibility while testifying? If so, could not this be used as a tactic by either the prosecution or defense to strengthen their case? Give examples.

7) Research the hisotry and development of the implementation and use of grand juries in our criminal court process. Explain the history and current state of how and why the grand jury process was implemented in the United States. What do you see as the primary benefit of using a grand jury process? Can you think of any drawbacks to using such a process? Use at least one reference in your research.
8) Define “hearsay” and provide an example. Be sure to explain why the example meets the definition of “hearsay”.

9) After years of prosecutions in the 1980’s and 1990’s and thousands of cases where accusations of child sexual abuse were made against child care workers, babysitters, family memebers, and otehrs; however, it has become clear that many problems exists. Courts have responded to the problems of very young children as victi
ms by relaxing hearsay rules so that more adults can testify about ou-of-court statements made by children. Research and find at least one court case within the past 20 years that have resulted in wrongful convictions based on children’s erroneous testimony, summarize the case, the outcome and concerns of child testimony may create, given the relaxing of the Hearsay Rules.

10) Research and summarize the case of Fare v Michael C (1979). In addition respond to the following: What additional factors are to be taken into account when determining whether a confession by a juvenile was considered to have been voluntary?What concerns would you have on judging whether or not a juvenile was capable of understanding their rights? What criteria would you use?

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11) In your own words, define reasonable suspicion. Why is this so important in regards to the police making a Terry Stop? More specifically, what should the standard be for the word reasonable?

12) In the case of government employees, courts generally hold that the employee has not legitimate expectation of privacy in a computer used in that employment. Do you agree or disagree with the courts in this matter? Why or why not? Come up with at least two arguments for or against the court’s ruling.

13) Research and summarize the Scott Peterson trial of 2003. What impact did the use of Global Positioning systems (GPS) by the police have on this case, and what did the police have to do in order to obtain GPS evidence? Why did police believe GPS evidence would assist them in their investigation?

14) Gruesome photographs may be used as evidence if they are relevant to some issue before the court. The trial judge has a great deal of discretion in determining whether such photos are needed and how many photos may be shown. Should the jury be “spared” such photographs when it is the reality of the case? What conditions would you place, if any, on the jury being exposed to such photographs and why?

15) When law enforcement officers arrive at a crime scene where a dead person has been found, it is important to the investigation that the officers determine the time the death occurred. Research and report activities of what is know as the “Body Farm”; how does the work done at the body farm aid investigators? What type of work is being done at the body farm? How does the body farm obtain the bodies used in its research?

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