Date of Defense
4-16-1992
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Dr. Ralph Chandler
Second Advisor
Paul Denenfeld
Third Advisor
Dr. Peter Renstrom
Abstract
In our free society, a concern for due process in criminal procedure is crucial. More important than guilt or innocence is the imperative process of protecting ourselves from an overbearing government. Where concern lacks, individual liberty is at the mercy of arbitrary governmental power. Zechariah Chafee, Jr., legal historian said, "Freedom from official capriciousness is essential to all other human rights" (Bodenhamer 4). This ideal and its significance in western thought can hardly be overstated. This study will examine the origin, the historical development, the excesses, and the meaning of the procedural guarantees found in the Sixth Amendment. Also, it will discuss the colonial experience and the decisions involved in the evolution of such guarantees. Lastly, a glimpse of recent history and the trend of today's decisions by the United States Supreme Court to undercut the Sixth Amendment will be given.
Recommended Citation
Zak, Renee M., "An Investigation of the Power of Government Versus the Rights of the Accused: Reflections on the Sixth Amendment" (1992). Honors Theses. 974.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/974
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Campus Only