ABSTRACT
Four sets of people play major roles in the court segment of the justice system: defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges, and jurors. This chapter assesses four issues: speedy trial, the role of the press in the trial process, court specialization, and plea bargaining. Eisenstein J. and Jacob H. and other observers of the criminal courts have identified what has come to be called the courtroom work group. The chapter provides information on "community courts." These new courts try to increase the involvement of citizens in the court process. As with every stage of the justice system, the court process is plagued with problems and issues that defy easy resolution. Like the police, the criminal courts are a subsystem of the criminal justice system, which itself exists within the whole system of American society. Privately retained counsel, public defenders, and assigned counsel comprise the three major methods of securing representation for criminal defendants.
