基础英语2课件unit_3.pptVIP

Content Warm-up Qs Background Information Text Analysis Language Study Discussion Exercises III. Methods of Execution III. Methods of Execution Background Information Author Alcatraz Island Parole Hierarchy of American Laws Expressions related to crime, law and court Quiz on American Crime and Prison Related Reading About the author  Richard Moran is a criminologist (犯罪学者) and a leading expert on the insanity(精神失常)defense, capital punishment(死刑), and the history of the electric chair. The author of numerous articles and reviews, Moran has also written articles for the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, and Newsweek.  The American Legal System As former colonists of Great Britain, the Founding Fathers of the United States adopted much of the legal system of Great Britain. ? The American Court system is based on the English Common Law system. The basic idea is that there are two sides, the plaintiff and the defendant, who present their arguments before an impartial judge (and sometimes a jury). In a criminal case, the prosecutor(检察官,公诉人)acts as a plaintiff on behalf of the citizens or state. The system is generally a three-tiered one. A case is typically brought at the lowest level or court, usually a “District” or “Trial” court. If the defendant or the plaintiff believes the judge made a legal error, not just because they are disappointed in the outcome, they have the opportunity to appeal the decision to an “Appellate Court“(受理上诉的法院) or Court of Appeals. At the Appellate Court level, there is usually a panel of three judges who hear arguments on either side. The Appellate Court has three options: it can decide that the judge was wrong and change the judgment, it can decide the judge was wrong and send the case back for the judge to change (also called a remand), or it can agree with or affirm the judgment of the lower court. Again, if either party to the case does not like the decision (again there must be a legal error in the l