Criminal Law
Topic: Appeals and the Criminal Justice System
Paper details:
Please see attachment. Sources are provided in added files.
You will review two court cases below and prepare a position paper that contains your concise and structured
opinion of the decisions made in each case. The purpose of a position paper is to identify an issue, your
position, and rationale for that position in order to convince your audience that your opinion is valid. The
midterm should be a minimum of 2 pages. Do not include cover page or reference page! APA FORMAT ON LY!!
SOURCE #1
REGINALD MEEKS, Petitioner-Appellant. vs. DAVID MCKUNE, et al., Respondent.
Case No. 09-3133
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS
607 F. Supp. 2d 1235; 2009 US. Dist. LEXIS 30846
April 9, 2009, Decided
April 9, 2009, Filed
SOURCE #2
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff – Appellee, versus CONRAD DOMINIC POOLE, Defendant – Appellant.
No. 05-5049
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
241 Fed. Appx. 153; 2007 US. App. LEXIS 18114
April 18, 2007, Submitted
July 30, 2007, Decided
This paper should have an introduction and body!
Introduction (of your main element)
0 State your thesis (topic and opinion you have chosen)
0 Introduce main points of argument
Body (Support for your position, containing evidence and examples)
0 Summarize the opposing viewpoint
0 Address all sides of the issue
0 Detail your position on the issue
0 Include evidence for key points that support your position
Prompt
The purpose of a position paper is to identify an issue. your position, and rationale for that position in order to
convince your audience that your opinion is valid.
I. Objective views for and against your position-not a descriptive or opinion paper! (analysis).
II. Statements that define the major issue as well as arguments and counterarguments that support your
position (background). Include information on the major points of the cases (differences and similarities),
who the victims were, which victim state or federal rights were crucial in these cases, victim services that
were involved, and any related crime theory and victim typology.
III. Premise and thesis. Your paper should have a premise on which you have based your thesis. Personal
statement written in third person (per APA) concerning the position and the issue (e.g., Abraham Lincoln’s
premise was that all people are created equal; his thesis that slavery ought to be abolished) (Thesis and
position)
IV. Statement of the importance of the issue to society (real-world). What were the implications of these
court decisions on society as a whole?
“Empirical studies conclude that after hearing opening statements, 65 to 80 percent of jurors not only make
up their minds about the case, but in addition, in the course of the trial, they do not change their minds.”
