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THE EXCLUSIONARY RULE
Geoff Moore
LSTD503 CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS
The Exclusionary Rule In 1763, William Pitt spoke in front of Parliament. In that speech he stated that the King of England cannot enter with all his forces. It can be said that the American colonists went to war, the Revolutionary War, with England to stand up for their rights. One of those rights was the protection from illegal searches and seizures. When the Congress debated on the wording of the Fourth Amendment, they had an extreme importance of needed protection from government encroachment. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution was designed and written specifically to protect citizens from illegal searches and seizures: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” [1] The exclusionary rule excludes evidence that was collected from an illegal search from being presented to convict someone of a crime. It is asserted to reject illegitimate police behavior by not allowing unlawfully seized evidence from being allowed in court. [2] When defense lawyers use the exclusionary rule, properly, it consistently damaging the district attorney’s case. This is why the officers are constantly being reminded not to violate the rights of the accused. In the latter part of the twentieth century, the use of the exclusionary rule became confused between the costs and benefits of implementing the rule. [3] When a defendant has allegedly committed a crime, how far should the courts proceed in order to protect the rights of the accused against illegal searches and seizures? When the

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