UTC Criminal Justice Questions

1) You represent a famous journalist who has been incarcerated for failure to disclose a confidential source to a prosecutor working on a murder case in your town. The prosecutor insists she needs all available information to convict a loathsome murderer. How would you argue to the judge that your client should not be imprisoned?

2) Discuss how protestors are protected and restricted by the First Amendment.

3) Your governor is getting ready to sign a new law in your state, called the "Constitutional Right to Carry Act," that will eliminate the state's permit and training requirements for citizens who want to carry guns. This means that a resident of your state who wants to carry a weapon, concealed or otherwise, can do so without a background check or a gun safety test. Balancing the right to bear arms against the need to control gun violence, tell the pros and cons of such a law.

4) Explain the law of stop and frisk, and why it is needed.

5) You are a senior police officer in the department, and you have been tasked by the chief of police to draft a policy on the way that police officers should deal with high-speed chases. There have been several complaints and newspaper articles about recent car chases that ended in the death or serious injury of the drivers. Additionally, some citizens are concerned that high-speed chases in residential neighborhoods are a danger to children and others. You know that many important arrests have been made as a result of such chases. Write a short policy on high-speed chases, explaining the guidelines for police officers, and justify your policy.