SECTION 127.634. Court Systems and Practices (One Credit), Adopted 2015

(a) General requirements. This course is recommended for students in Grades 10-12. Recommended prerequisite: Law Enforcement I or Principles of Government or Public Administration. Students shall be awarded one credit for successful completion of this course.

(b) Introduction.

(1) Career and technical education instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills for students to further their education and succeed in current or emerging professions.

(2) The Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security Career Cluster focuses on planning, managing, and providing legal services, public safety, protective services, and homeland security, including professional and technical support services.

(3) Court Systems and Practices is an overview of the federal and state court systems. The course identifies the roles of judicial officers and the trial processes from pretrial to sentencing and examines the types and rules of evidence. Emphasis is placed on constitutional laws for criminal procedures such as search and seizure, stop and frisk, and interrogation.

(4) Students are encouraged to participate in extended learning experiences such as career and technical student organizations and other leadership or extracurricular organizations.

(5) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

(c) Knowledge and skills.

(1) The student demonstrates professional standards/employability skills as required by business and industry. The student is expected to achieve business and industry employability skills standards such as attendance, on-time arrival, meeting deadlines, working toward personal/team goals every day, and ethical use of technology.

(2) The student examines the structure of the legal system in the United States. The student is expected to:

(A) trace the history, structure, and function of state and federal court systems and criminal procedure;

(B) compare and contrast the state court system and the federal court system;

(C) explain and illustrate how jurisdiction impacts criminal charges and trial proceedings;

(D) explain and interpret the purposes of law regarding criminal acts and behaviors;

(E) distinguish between constitutional law, case law, statutory law, and administrative law;

(F) identify the differences in processing a misdemeanor and felony case;

(G) describe and interpret the impact of the grand jury process on court proceedings regarding criminal scenarios;

(H) examine relationship of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights upon the court system; and

(I) describe the impact of public opinion and the legislature on the U.S. court system.

(3) The student explores the roles and responsibilities of members of courtroom work groups. The student is expected to:

(A) explain the roles of professionals such as the police, prosecutor, judge, victim advocates, and criminal defense attorney in the criminal process;

(B) examine the roles and importance of members of the courtroom such as the jury, bailiff, and court reporter;

(C) analyze the impact of the victim and the defendant upon the courtroom process; and

(D) discuss the dynamics of assembly line justice and discretion found in court proceedings.

(4) The student recognizes communication skills needed for courtroom policies and procedures. The student is expected to:

(A) use communication skills to evaluate body language such as gestures, verbal tone, and inflection during testimony;

(B) demonstrate interpersonal communication skills; and

(C) apply writing skills to formulate effective field note taking and report writing.

(5) The student examines the steps by which a criminal charge is processed through pretrial, trial, adjudication, and the appellate stages. The student is expected to:

(A) examine the interaction between police and prosecutor in filing complaints and making a decision to charge such as Defenses to Prosecution and application of various definitions of intent;

(B) explain pretrial court proceedings such as rules of discovery, challenges to evidence, and the bail process;

(C) distinguish between direct and circumstantial evidence and burden of proof for federal and state courts;

(D) explore the impact of pleas and plea bargaining on the trial proceedings;

(E) identify the trial process from pretrial to sentencing;

(F) evaluate a simulated criminal case; and

(G) conduct a mock trial demonstrating understanding of the criminal trial procedure.

(6) The student explains the structure and provisions of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights and how they impact the criminal trial process. The student is expected to:

(A) apply the police responsibilities under the Fourth Amendment regarding search and seizure in a simulated arrest scenario;

(B) determine if a search initiated in a scenario is proper under the provisions of the Fourth Amendment;

(C) analyze the exclusionary rule and the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine to determine if evidence obtained in an illegal search scenario is admissible in court;

(D) explain the impact of the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth amendments on the criminal justice system;

(E) analyze the effect of landmark cases such as Miranda v. Arizona, Weeks v. United States, Mapp v. Ohio, Douglas v. California, and Escobedo v. Illinois on individuals entering the criminal justice system;

(F) describe the due process rights of a criminal suspect in the trial and sentencing process; and

(G) explain the impact of the Fifth and Sixth amendments on the criminal trial process.

Source Note: The provisions of this §127.634 adopted to be effective April 7, 2022, 47 TexReg 1677