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Criminal Justice Citizenship, Daniel S. Mcconkie Jr.

College of Law Faculty Publications

The American criminal justice system is fundamentally democratic and should reflect an ideal of citizenship that is equal, participatory, and deliberative. Unfortunately, the outcomes of criminal cases are now almost always determined by professionals (prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges) instead of by juries. This overly bureaucratized system of adjudication silences the voice of the people. A better system would strengthen “criminal justice citizenship,” which refers to the right of the citizenry to participate, directly and indirectly, in the criminal justice system and to deliberate in its workings.

The three key principles of criminal justice citizenship are membership, participation, and deliberation. …