Foundation Of Criminal Justice System

The Discussion Board (DB) is part of the core of online learning. Classroom discussion in an online environment requires the active participation of students and the instructor to create robust interaction and dialogue. Every student is expected to create an original response to the open-ended DB question as well as engage in dialogue by responding to posts created by others throughout the week. At the end of each unit, DB participation will be assessed based on both level of engagement and the quality of the contribution to the discussion.

At a minimum, each student will be expected to post an original and thoughtful response to the DB question and contribute to the weekly dialogue by responding to at least two other posts from students. The first contribution must be posted before midnight (Central Time) on Wednesday of each week. The original contribution must reference the text or auxiliary reading at least twice. Two additional responses are required after Wednesday of each week. The responses must be posted on separate days and must be at least 100 words in length. The responses are due by midnight (CST) Saturday. Comments that are posted late Saturday night, are not quality responses will be graded down. Comments that are mere responses (I agree!) will also be graded down. Students are highly encouraged to engage on the Discussion Board early and often, as that is the primary way the university tracks class attendance and participation.

The purpose of the Discussion Board is to allow students to learn through sharing ideas and experiences as they relate to course content and the DB question. Because it is not possible to engage in two-way dialogue after a conversation has ended, no posts to the DB will be accepted after the end of each unit.

Assignment Details

The criminal trial of Casey Anthony has been debated since the not-guilty verdict was handed down in 2011. When she was found not guilty of killing her daughter, many news media outlets focused on the prosecution’s case as a reason for her acquittal.

Part 1

Your responsibility in this Discussion Board is to concentrate only on the trial in the first part of this assignment. Do not consider your personal beliefs, police actions, and so on. Explain, in brief, why she was found not guilty using the text as your guide.

Read and review the following summary of the case to fill yourself in on the trial:

• Case Summary

You will discuss what went wrong for the prosecution during the case and identify during which phase of the trial it went wrong. You may wish to pursue what the defense did right during the trial if that is your interest.

More specifically, address the following in your Discussion Board response:

• What happened during the criminal trial of Casey Anthony for her to be found not guilty by the jury?
• Do you agree with the verdict? Base your answer on the facts of the case not on your personal opinions or beliefs. You must use the cold, hard facts of the case to form your conclusions.

Part 2

The second part of the assignment requires you to reach a verdict on the American system of justice as it relates to the Casey Anthony case. Read and review the following article:

• Case Article

Explain the following:

• The importance of the right to a trial in the United States regardless of public opinion
• Whether or not you would represent Casey Anthony if she asked you to represent her

In your own words, post a response to the Discussion Board and comment on at least two other postings. You will be graded on the quality of your postings.

Please note that you are required to support your views by referencing your sources in all assignments. Even if the question asks for your opinion, you are still expected to support your opinion with references to published works and other materials. You may only use the text or assigned scholarly readings for references. Do not use Internet sources. APA format is necessary for your assignments when citing references, and assistance on how to use APA is available in the APA Citation Center. For assistance in supporting your assignment, please use your text, Web resources, and all course materials, including any materials provided by the faculty member.

References

Floyd, J. (2011, July 6). Opinion: Why Casey Anthony 'got off' and why it matters. Retrieved from http://www.wnyc.org/story/144730-why-casey-anthony-trial-good-our-constitution/

Hopper, J. (2011, July 5). Casey Anthony trial: Not guilty murder verdict. abc News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/casey_anthony_trial/casey-anthony-guilty-murder-caylees-death/story?id=13987918