The U.S. Judicial System

Competency
In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:

Describe the organizational hierarchy and roles within the U.S. judicial system
Scenario
You are the Director of Local Community Outreach for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), a national professional organization. Your position is to aid mid-sized cities in their efforts to educate citizens about how to interact with the judicial system. Your position includes consulting, running community programs, and creating educational materials. Your goal is to create an information poster or other visual aid that will help these cities educate the general population about the criminal justice system.

Directions
The ACJS is committed to promoting equity in the criminal justice system. Create an information poster or visual aid that address all of the required elements:

Explain how the court system in the United States works. Address the following questions in your explanation:
How do the three types of courts relate to each other?
How do courts provide checks and balances?
Explain the functions and responsibilities of various members of the criminal justice system. You must address each of the following members:
Judges
Consider addressing some of the key issues or ethical factors a judge might encounter.
Prosecutors
Consider including the impact of prosecutorial discretion on the court process.
Defense Counsel
Consider addressing the differences between public and private defenders and the role each plays in due process.
Allied Professionals
Consider including some of the following roles: court stenographer, probation officers, court clerks, and court deputies.
Describe the role of various courts.
What is the role of the appeals courts? Include:
Local courts
State courts
Federal courts
What is the role of specialized courts?
Describe the jurisdictions of different courts in the United States. Include each of the following:
Explain why different courts exist.
Provide an example of a different court.
Describe the importance of its jurisdictional difference.
Describe some of the issues that can arise from this jurisdiction.
You may want to consider:
Military courts
Native American courts or U.S. court jurisdiction over Native Americans
What to Submit
To complete this project, you must submit the following:

Educational Material
For this project, choose the format that works best for you. Please note there is no requirement related to the way you show your knowledge, as long as you meet the rubric requirements by following the directions.

We have created the following optional template to aid you in completing this project:

Project One Template Word Document
If you prefer to create a different visual aid, consider creating one of the following:

Interactive timeline (See the Supporting Materials section.)
Infographic (See the Supporting Materials section.)
Video for a website
Other handout
Make sure your visual aid includes all of the rubric requirements in the Directions section.