Processes of the criminal justice system

Processes of the criminal justice system Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Introduction The article selected is from Cable News Network (CNN) detailing the case of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin, from his arrest through to trial. The facts surrounding the case indicate that George Zimmerman had Shot Trayvon Martin after a confrontation that resulted in injuries. George Zimmerman in his own submissions admitted to having shot and killed Martin in what he termed as a self-defense move. The alleged incident took place on February 26, 2012 on a Sunday night in the neighborhood of Sanford in Florida. The setting of the crime was in a gated community in which Zimmerman was a member of the community watch program as a coordinator (Bennett, 2013). Martin was not a resident of the gated community at the time of the shooting and had only gone there to visit his father. The incident took place because of Zimmerman`s suspicion on the behavior of Martin, who was roaming around on a rainy night in what Zimmerman described as a highly suspicious behavior. George Zimmerman at the time of committing the offense was twenty-eight years old while his victim martin was barely seventeen. Zimmerman is a Hispanic and many accusations have been fronted on the matter of the death of Martin who was an African American, with the case taking racial profiling undertones (Winch & Sloane, 2013). The claims of racial profiling by Zimmerman on Martin have gained momentum since his arrest with several movements and black activists condemning the act. The media played and is still playing a leading role in the murder case of Martin in which Zimmerman is being tried for, and the role of the media in the whole case has raised a storm. Several accusations have been leveled against the media for painting Zimmerman as guilty and for severely changing the course of actions taken. Description of the crime The crime committed by Zimmerman on the night of February 26, 2012 took place in their gated community as he was running an errand. Martin the victim, on the other hand had gone to a convenience store to make some purchases and was walking home when Zimmerman cut his life short in rather conflicting circumstances. Zimmerman was driving in his SUV when he saw Martin and called the non-emergency number to alert the officers of his suspicions on martin`s behavior. He concluded that Martin was walking staring at houses along the street under the rain. Zimmerman got out of his car and followed Martin and according to his account, Martin got violent and attacked him as he was getting back to his car (Winch & Sloane, 2013). Allegedly, Martin was on top of Zimmerman beating him and telling him that his life would be over. These actions prompted Zimmerman to shoot Martin in what he termed as self-defense The police department on receiving emergency calls got to the scene and tried in all ways possible to keep Martin alive, but all this was in vain, as Martin passed away. The police who arrived at the scene requested Zimmerman to accompany them to the station to record a statement and afterwards released him being persuaded that he was acting in self-defense. The case attracted a lot of attention in the United States on the conditions surrounding the murder and on April 11, 2012, a special prosecutor against George Zimmerman and a warrant for his arrest issued filed murder charges. Zimmerman turned himself in and therefore the police did not have to arrest him on the second-degree murder charges (Bennett, 2013). Process Zimmerman would undergo in the Criminal justice system The judicial system process to be undergone by George Zimmerman is an intricate process involving a lot of media attention. The arrest of an individual like in the case of Zimmerman on the count of murder did not imply that he was guilty. Constitutional provisions on accused person`s treatment are clear that an individual is innocent of any crime until proven otherwise. The burden of proof lay squarely on the prosecution side, which had to build a convincing case for the indictment of Zimmerman. The First and Fifth Amendments, which gives a person protection against the state violating their rights, protected the offender from the onset. Zimmerman had the right to stay silent and to have a lawyer present in all accounts of his interviews (Bennett, 2013). Under interrogation, the offender had the right to be treated as if he was innocent and all the interrogations were to be carried in a humane manner that did not compromise the rights of Zimmerman. George Zimmerman had to undergo several interrogations with his attorney and the police department in the process of gathering evidence. Like in any other criminal proceeding in the judicial system, any offender has the right to an attorney, and if they cannot afford an attorney, they are entitled to representation from a state appointed attorney (Bennett, 2013). The judicial system allows an offender to file for release on bail pending hearing as shall be determined by a court of law. The case of Zimmerman who was facing a second-degree murder charge was complicated in nature, therefore, an application of bail does not necessarily guarantee that it...