LAW 295

Criminal Procedure: Adjudication


Constitutional & Public Law, Criminal Justice, Critical Race Studies, Public Interest Law

The subject of this course is the criminal process "from bail to jail." We examine the theory, policy, history, and development of the constitutional and non-constitutional procedural components of the criminal trial process, as well as pre-trial and post-trial proceedings. Topics include: bail and pre-trial detention, initiating prosecution, grand juries and preliminary hearings, joinder and severance of charges and defendants, double jeopardy, right to counsel, competency to stand trial and right to self-representation, discovery and disclosure of information to other parties, plea-bargaining and guilty pleas, speedy trial rights, jury selection, right to confrontation, privilege against self-incrimination, sentencing, direct appeals, and collateral review.

This course is designed to complement Law 202 ("Criminal Procedure: Investigations"), Law 296 (“Habeas Corpus”); Law 312 (“Professional Responsibility”); Law 429 ("Capital Punishment in America"); Law 711 ("Pre-trial Criminal Litigation"), Law 715 ("Criminal Defense Clinic"), and Law 720 ("Criminal Trial Advocacy"), but those courses are not prerequisites.

See Full Course Details