Comparison of Federal and State Criminal Systems

    Most criminal prosecutions take place in state courts. The chart below highlights some of the key differences between state and federal criminal systems

Jurisdiction ("power" to decide cases, A state jurisdiction). Has power over defendants who violate the laws of that state. The federal government has power over defendants who commit criminal acts on federal property (for example, an assault in a post office) or whose criminal acts cross state lines (for example, a kidnapper transports a victim from Iowa to Missouri A state and the). Federal government can have "concurrent" power over a defendant when the same criminal activity violates both state and federal laws. In those situations, state and federal prosecutors make case-by-case decisions as to whether a defendant will be prosecuted in state or federal court

· Police Officers (police officer). Typical state police officers are county sheriffs and city police officers. Typical federal police officers are agents of the FBI and DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)

· Prosecutors (prosecutor). Federal criminal prosecutions are handled by US Attorneys, who are appointed by and are ultimately responsible to the US Attorney General. State prosecutors, many of whom are elected on a countywide basis, carry a variety of titles; common ones are district attorney, state 's attorney and city attorney

· Defense Attorneys (lawyer). Most criminal defendants qualify for government-paid defense attorneys. Government-paid attorneys are usually employed either by an office of the Federal Public Defender or a county 's Public Defender office. (For information about the differences between government-paid and privately retained defense attorneys, see Chapter 7)

· Trial Courts (trial court). Most federal criminal prosecutions occur in United States District Courts. State courts carry such titles as superior court "(the Supreme Court)," "Municipal Court (court)," police court "(the court)" or county court "(county court)," depending on the state and the seriousness of criminal charges

Judges Federal trial judges (judge). Are known as District Court Judges (Federal District Court judge); they are appointed for life by the President subject to confirmation (by the US confirmed, approval) Senate. State court judges are typically initially appointed by governors (provincial governor governor, now we also use this word) and then are subject to election every few years. State court trial judges carry such titles as Superior Court Judge, Municipal Court Judge and (in New York) Supreme Court Judge. In both State and Federal courts, "magistrates" may preside over pretrial hearings such as bail hearings, as well as less serious criminal trials

All-Purpose vs. Specialized Judges (universal justice and specific justice). Federal courts use the "all-purpose judge" system. This means that the same judge almost always presides over a case from beginning to end that is, from a defendant 's first court appearance to final acquittal or sentencing. Some states also follow the all-purpose judge model. In many States, however judges are, specialized. For example, one judge may determine bail (see Chapter 5), another judge may hear pretrial motions (see Chapter 19) and a third judge may preside over a trial (see Chapter 21)

LawExplanation of terms:

1, property [an English Chinese Dictionary of jurisprudence] n. property, property rights, property, intangible assets, property management we often say but translated into property management oh.

2, kidnapper [an English Chinese Dictionary of jurisprudence] n. kidnappers, kidnappers, abductors, note that kidnap English mean To seize and detain unlawfully and usually for ransom, or The taking away of an individual that against his will. The term is usually applied to instances in demanded which ransom is for the return of the kidnapped person. here do not need the kidnappers have to ransom.

3, the FBI and DEA America Federal Bureau of investigation and the Narcotics Control Bureau, about DEA have all kinds of translation, is the key to the understanding of the functions of the deviation, WIKIPEDIA explanation for the The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States Department of Justice law enforcement agency tasked with suppressing the sale of recreational drugs by enforcing the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. It shares concurrent jurisdiction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in narcotics enforcement matters

4, pretrial hearings [an English Chinese Dictionary of jurisprudence] a pretrial hearing

5, the US Attorneys is not translated into USA lawyer, but US Attorney General America attorney general appoint federal prosecutor, district attorney, state 's attorney and city attorney attorney is the attorney's Office

   Source: Legal English translation