The Criminal Process An Evaluative Study

The Criminal Process addresses one of the most controversial areas of the entire criminal process: the pre-trial stage. Taking as his starting point the detention of suspects in policy custody, the author examines six key issues in the pre-trial process; the questioning of suspects, cautioning of offenders, prosecutorial review, remand decisions, mode of trial decisions, and plea bargaining. In this second edition the European Convention on Human Rights is given even greater prominence, in view of the Human Rights Acts 1998. The book brings principled argument and recent research findings to bear on legal developments such as the provisions on adverse inferences from silence in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; the forthcoming changes in the cautioning of young offenders; the new system of `plea before venue' for cases that might otherwise be committed to the Crown Court; and the statutory and other inducements for defendants to enter a guilty plea. This new edition also assesses recent criticisms of the Crown Prosecution Service, and places the controversial aspects of pre-trial justice within the framework of human rights. The book will continue to be the ideal text for all students of criminal justice and criminology, as well as academics and practitioners interested in the criminal justice system.