The Case of Slick Martin, Research Paper Example

Questions pertaining to the role of the prosecutor:

In this case which involves the use of a handgun at the grocery store, the role of the prosecuting attorney Jake Martin is to see that justice is done by having Slick found guilty of robbery and having him placed in prison, in this instance at a local community-based correctional facility which provides a moderate level of security. However, Martin is not responsible for coming up with a deal for Slick; this falls on the shoulders of defense attorney Chris Vaughn. But Martin could inevitably play some kind of role in helping Slick not to serve two to ten years in jail. If I was Martin, I would ask the judge to recommend to Ms. Vaughn a plea bargaining deal to help lower Slick’s prison time. But because of the seriousness of Slick’s crime, I would insist upon prison time. Of course, the outcome is up to the judge who must relate his feelings about placing Slick in the correctional facility where is could learn a trade and obtain his GED.

Questions pertaining to the role of the defense attorney:

In this case, Ms. Vaughn’s duty is to defend Slick and explain the terrible circumstances of his young life to the judge, hoping that Slick’s background might sway his decision. Although Ms. Vaughn realizes that the final decision could go either way with Slick spending two or more years in jail or a lesser amount of time, she did ask Martin if he would be willing to reduce the charge to less than a felony which would remove the presumption of prison. She also asked the judge to sentence Slick to a minimum amount of jail time. If I was Slick’s defense attorney, I would urge the judge for a plea bargaining deal so 19 year-old Slick does not have to spend three or four years of his adult life behind bars. After all, he does have a history of drug and alcohol abuse which he claimed forced him to rob the grocery store.

Questions pertaining to the role of the judge:

In this case, the role of the judge is to come to a decision on how to deal with Slick and to guarantee that justice is served. If I was the judge, I would review Slick’s history and then decide whether he deserves to spend two or three years at the correctional facility. But it seems that the judge is somewhat reluctant to cut a deal for a lesser amount of jail time. “Why should I take a risk on this guy by not sending him to prison?” But he is wide open for suggestions via asking Martin is there are any options for reducing the charges. Although Slick does have a juvenile record, I would nonetheless give him a break to see if he can straighten up his life. Also, Martin seems a bit reluctant about Slick, for he too is not certain that a lower sentence would teach him a valuable lesson.