Criminal Procedure and Trial Process

What this page covers

This page follows a criminal case from first police contact to the end of the process. Some resources lean on US law, with the 4th, 5th, 6th and 14th Amendments, the exclusionary rule and Terry stops. Others lean on England and Wales, with bail under the Bail Act, summary offences and the Crown Court, and jury procedure. One resource is tagged A-level Law.

Where to start

Begin with the mind map Criminal Procedure, which sets out the constitutional protections in one view. Then open Criminal Procedure Issue Spotting Timeline. It lines up search and seizure, statements, formal charges, trial, incarceration and appeal, so you can see where each rule fits.

If you are studying the English system, try Bail and Summary Offences and Crown Court first. The notes on preliminaries to prosecution give a written overview before you move on.

Using quizzes and maps together

1. Read a mind map slowly and say each branch aloud.
2. Close it and take a quiz on the same topic, such as Quiz CPro, which asks about places with a reasonable expectation of privacy.
3. Note the questions you missed and go back to the matching branch.
4. Use a flashcard deck to repeat those points over several days.

The flashcard decks on warrants of arrest and waiver of indictment suit short sessions. The flowcharts, including Reasonable Suspicion, help with step-by-step reasoning.

Where this unit sits

This unit belongs to the strand Courts, Trial and Sentencing, in the subject Criminal law, within the Law area. It focuses on how a case moves through the courts, rather than on the offences themselves.

Your next step

Choose one map that matches your course, take a quiz on it, and see which branches need another look. Then try making your own flashcards from what you missed.