ABSTRACT
Four sets of people play major roles in the court segment of the justice system: (1) defense attorneys, (2) prosecutors, (3) judges, and (4) jurors. These people have a direct effect on decisions in the criminal courts. With the exception of jurors, who are usually typical citizens, all are trained in the law and therefore share a common culture (Glick, 1983:2-3; Holten & Lamar, 1991:115-119). In many ways, prosecutors and defense attorneys are similar, except for the fact that they are adversaries at trial. Very often, judges are recruited from the ranks of prosecutors and (to a lesser extent) defense attorneys. As a result, judges not only share a common training and educational experience, they often share common career paths.
