NCJ Number
85931
Journal
Denver Law Journal Volume: 59 Issue: 1 Dated: (1981) Pages: 25-73
Date Published
1981
Length
49 pages
Annotation
This article describes the major changes appearing in the second edition of the American Bar Association (ABA) Standards for Criminal Justice.
Abstract
The second edition represents a major improvement over the first. It has a greatly revised format, comprising both utilitarian and stylistic revisions. In the second edition, the first chapter addresses the urban police function. Few major changes were warranted in this section. With regard to electronic surveillance, the pervading theme of the second edition continues to be two-fold: assisting law enforcement and protecting privacy. Significant court decisions made within the last decade are incorporated in the chapter focusing on the function of the prosecution. The set of standards affecting defense services has been one of the most influential of the entire group, and most States have adopted key elements since initial approval in 1968. Additional chapters focus on such topics as the special functions of the trial judge, discovery and procedure before trial, joinder and severance, guilty pleas, trial by jury, appellate review of sentences, criminal appeals, and postconviction remedies. In general, the second edition is characterized by both continuity and change. The article includes 141 footnotes.