SHOULD COURT PROCEEDINGS BE DOCUMENTED FOR TELEVISION?

 

A. Introduction.
The controversial question of whether or not criminal court hearings should be documented has been an issue for a long time. Cases like OJ Simpson’s in the United States and the Pistorius case in South Africa are the most popular.
Thesis: Criminal cases should be televised since the Television of court proceedings restores the public’s faith in criminal proceedings.
B. Body.
i. Supporting arguments.
a) Broadcasting criminal court hearings educate the public on the justice system’s happenings- most people push for publicized popular criminal cases. As in South Africans in the Pistorious case, most of them learned a lot about the court processes like giving witness statements, jurors, and other legal terms (Lovels, 2014, 2).
b) Publicizing court proceedings have been proven to have no negative impact on the court proceedings- researchers conducted maintain that courts can maintain their professionalism and legal standards despite being in the public eye.
c) The broadcasting of these cases gives the public a chance to see justice prevail- some people barely know how to access justice. Being witness to a court process boosts their confidence in the justice system and may even encourage them to seek justice for themselves if need be.
d) Opens up the courts to public scrutiny- most people believe court processes are marred with corruption. However, when exposed to the public eye, these corruption tendencies might fade away.
ii. Opposing points.
a) Exposes both the accused to emotional strain- the accused is aware that the victims or the victim’s families and friends are watching. As a result, they feel pressured by the constant judgment in the public domain.
b) May victimize the witness and the victim from testifying- “in Pistorius case, for example, the witnesses and victims felt nervous about testifying in public” (Lovels, 2014, 3).
C. Conclusion
The public has the right to access criminal proceedings to learn about the justice system and expose the corrupt courts to the pressure of being in the limelight. However, this exposure of cases might affect the quality of witness statements and evidence tendered in court.

 

 

 

 

 

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