This year John Fuller and I recorded and released 15 videos on U.S. criminal courts.  Each video offers both a summary of some aspect of the criminal courts and a relevant controversial issue.  The fourth video, for instance, gives an overview of criminal law and the controversies surrounding police searches, evidence, and suppression of evidence.  The eleventh video provides a concise description of the appeal process, but then explores a debate around the core function of appeals:  should appellate courts work to stop injustices, or should they merely assure that the trial followed proper procedures?

These videos address several other issues that are prominent right now in the country, such as:

• The influence of social movements on the criminal courts, as we saw in the Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman case, and as is currently unfolding in Missouri with the Justice for Daisy grassroots movement regarding the alleged rape, dismissal of charges, and now the re-opening of the criminal case
• Election of judges, prosecutors, and public defenders, which opens officers of the court to corruption and conflicts of interests, and compels them to pander to the most vocal and influential constituents
• The influence of Christian principles and religious leaders on the criminal court system

Each video corresponds with a chapter in our book, American Criminal Courts: Legal Process and Social Context.  These help readers of the book get a preview and review of each chapter.  But we’ve also made the videos stand-alone resources for anyone interested in learning more about the criminal courts, and working with the publisher, Elsevier, we’ve provided them free through YouTube.  (The videos were filmed and produced by Mark Huelsbeck, a Communications professor at Flagler College, with assistance from Chris Renaud.  The music at the intro of each one is from Laurel Lee and the Escapees’ album, Showdown.)

To compliment both the text and free videos, I will post blogs that untangle and clarify some of the complicated issues surrounding American criminal courts.

Criminal courts are at the center of our criminal justice system, and therefore are one of the most far-reaching and graphic forms of government social control.  Citizens of a democracy will be well served to learn as much a possible about this part of civil governance.  We hope these videos and blog posts serve that pursuit.

To watch these videos, visit the SciTech Connect YouTube page, or visit the following links individually. 

• American Criminal Courts, Ch1: Principles & Decision Making
• American Criminal Courts, Ch2: Comparative Courts & History
• American Criminal Courts, Ch3: Federal and State Courts
• American Criminal Courts, Ch4: Criminal Law and Crime
• American Criminal Courts, Ch5: Legal Action and Decision Making
• American Criminal Courts, Ch6: Case Assessment & Attrition
• American Criminal Courts, Ch7: Pre-Trial Process
• American Criminal Courts, Ch8: The Prosecution and State Power
• American Criminal Courts, Ch9: The Defense and State Power
• American Criminal Courts, Ch10: Judges, Juries, and Sentencing
• American Criminal Courts, Ch11: The Right to Appeal
• American Criminal Courts, Ch12: Juvenile Courts
• American Criminal Courts, Ch13: Specialized Courts
• American Criminal Courts, Ch14: Alternatives to Court
• American Criminal Courts, Ch15: Courts in the Future