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Appeals Process
Nikole Robinson
Criminal Justice and Security (CJS)/220
February 9, 2014
Tony Sanders

Appeals Process According to University of Phoenix Appeals (2003), an appeal is a proceeding in which a case is brought before a higher court for review of a lower court’s judgment for the purpose of convincing the higher court that the lower court’s judgment was incorrect. An appeal is done when a defendant’s attorney tries to get him/her a lighter sentence in exchange for something in return, for instance a guilty plea. This is the defendant’s way of trying to get a lighter sentence for the crime he/she has committed. Appeals are important because they are one of the principal avenues in which legal issues, such as law are shaped. Often an appellate decision in one jurisdiction is a source of guidance to courts in other jurisdictions. The first step to appeal is to file a notice of appeal within a specific amount of time after the conviction. Next the appellate files the trial court record and all documents supporting the appeal to the appellate court. Then the appellant and appellee each file briefs, basic facts of the case and the argument made by that particular party. After the briefs are filed the judge may want to hear a short oral argument from each party in the case and finally the court will issue a decision which will be given with a written opinion describing the reasoning for the decision. The appeals factor into the overall criminal procedures and processes because it is the defendants legal right to an appeal. Prosecutors as well as defendants can appeal a court’s decision. Judges typically do not like to have their cases appealed because of mistakes that were made during the trial. I feel a way we can improve the appeals process is simply weed out the defendants making appeals to try to get a lighter sentence or out of paying

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