CJ 207 Project Three
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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207
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History
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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docx
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4
Uploaded by dbowman1000
CJ 207 Project Three Template
Mapp v. Ohio
Summary
Impact of the Case
Mapp vs Ohio was vital in securing the 4
th
amendment. The case was decided on June 19
th, 1961. Dollree Mapp who was the defendant had her house searched in regards to a different case when they located explicit materials in her home. They took it upon the criminal justice system and charged Mapp with possession of obscene material which at the time was a felony in the State of Ohio.
This case was vital has it helped strengthen and protect against unreasonable searches and
seizures. A proper search warrant wasn’t given by authorities at the time and the federal courts couldn’t use any evidence involving the case and couldn’t continue prosecution. This applied to the states courts as well. To this day, policy and procedures are in place meaning that whatever evidence gained from an unreasonable search and seizure, is in direct violation of the fourth amendment. This rule applied to both state and federal courts just from her case. Gideon v. Wainwright
Summary
Impact of the Case
“Gideon was charged with breaking and entering with the intent to commit a misdemeanor, which is a felony under Florida
law.” (U.S. Courts, 1963) Gideon appeared in
court without an attorney because of the fact he couldn’t afford one. He was given the maximum sentence of 5 years. Courts at the time only appointed attorneys for individuals who were being charged under capitol punishment. The impact of the case was substantial in that,
the supreme court had ruled that the Constitution requires the state to provide an attorney to defendants charged with major offenses, not just capitol. Especially those that cannot afford a lawyer. Thus, upholding the due process clause in the 14
th
amendment.
Because of the Gideon case, approximately 2,000 inmates were released from Florida just
because of the result. Due to the Government expense, Gideon had received a new trial with
the appointment of defense. “In all of these cases, the Supreme Court recognized that, in a
society of profoundly unequal resources, adversarial criminal justice, and ignorance of complex law, justice can only prevail if the state provides an indigent defendant with an attorney.” (McBride, 2006) This even helped by dismissing the need for hearing to determine if special circumstances where they
need to have an appointed attorney.
Furman v. Georgia and Gregg v. Georgia
Summary
Impact of the Case
Furman vs Georgia (1972) “The Court held that the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty in these cases constituted cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.” (CPC, 1972)
“Gregg v. Georgia held that Georgia's death penalty statute was constitutional.” (Landmark Cases, (Landmark Cases, 1976) Gregg was found guilty of two counts of murder and armed robbery. Death Penalty was constitutional and also established limits to be carried out. Furman’s case caused all types of changes to all inmates that were sentenced to death row. Those cases were all changed to life imprisonment. “Following this decision, the use of the death penalty was put on hold while states revised criminal statutes to ensure the death penalty was not applied arbitrarily or discriminatorily.” (LII, 2022) Over the years, majority of the states enacted new laws including different sentencing guidelines that intend to overcome the court’s
concerns regarding the death penalty. The decision with Gregg vs Georgia case made the Courts investigate further than it had in the case. It was concluded that capitol punishment was not cruel and unusual punishment did not violate the eighth amendment. The jury still handed down a guilty verdict which also helped the court to conclude that American society did not believe in 1976 that the death penalty was unconstitutional. “In a 7-2 decision, the Court
upheld Georgia's death penalty statute as appropriate, reasoning the punishment could act as a deterrent for would-be murderers.” (Landmark Cases, 1976) The night before his execution, Gregg had escaped prison. He was killed hours later in a North Carolina bar fight.
Roper v. Simmons OR In re Gault
Summary
Impact of the Case
Roper vs Simmons, (2005) went to the supreme court where they found the death penalty for a juvenile to be unconstitutional. Three boys planned on doing a burglary and murder while tying up the victim. Simmons had confessed to the murder. There was also a
recording of the incident as well which another boy actually testified against Simmons proving premeditation. Simmons was claiming ineffective counsel which set aside his sentence and conviction, taking into account his troubled background along with his age. “The Court ruled that a death sentence imposed on a minor violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.” (CFSY, 2023)
Gault was a 15-year-old accused of making an obscene phone call to his neighbor. Mrs. Cook who was the victim in this case, had the
juvenile arrested as his parents were unaware because of work. The police did not make his parents aware of the arrest of their child. There absolutely was no effort to contact them regarding the matter. Sentencing guidelines say that an adult would be charged the same way, receiving the maximum charge
of a fifty-dollar fine and two months in jail. “At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge committed Gault to juvenile detention for six years, until he turned 21.” (U.S. Courts, 1967)
The court felt that this was in violation of the Eighth Amendment regarding the execution of a juvenile. This also included the entire country. Under the “evolving standards of decency” test, the court noted it was a cruel and unusual punishment to execute a person who was under the age of 18. Thus, in violation of the Eight Amendment. In addition to cancelling the death sentence of Christopher Simmons, the Supreme Court’s decision also included converting the death sentence of 72 other juveniles that were awaiting death row. The impact on the Gault case was a vastly changed law in 1967 which gave the decision to juveniles accused of crimes the same due process rights as adults. This gave the rights to juveniles having attorneys present for their case. Formal rules on criminal procedure and chance to present their defense in an open hearing. In conclusion, this gave juvenile defendants the same 14
th
amendment rights as
adults have.
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References
Facts and case summary - gideon v. Wainwright. United States Courts. (n.d.). https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/facts-and-case-summary-
gideon-v-wainwright
The Supreme Court . expanding civil rights . landmark cases . Gideon V ... (n.d.-c). https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_gideon.html
Furman v. Georgia: Capital punishment in context. Furman v. Georgia | Capital Punishment in Context. (n.d.). https://capitalpunishmentincontext.org/resources/casesummaries/furman
Span landmark cases: Season Two - home. C. (n.d.). https://landmarkcases.c-span.org/Case/26/Gregg-v.-Georgia
Legal Information Institute. (n.d.-a). Furman v. Georgia (1972). Legal Information Institute. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/furman_v_georgia_(1972)
Amy. (2019, July 10). Roper v. Simmons (2005) - campaign for the fair sentencing of Youth. CFSY. https://cfsy.org/court-case/roper-v-simmons-2005/
Facts and case summary - in re Gault. United States Courts. (n.d.-b). https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/facts-and-case-summary-
re-gault