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Preferred term

speedy trial legislation  

Definition

  • The right to a speedy trial is a constitutionally protected right, guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution, and made applicable to the states through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Sixth Amendment provides in part that “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy trial.” This guarantee of a speedy trial is one of the most basic and fundamental rights preserved by the United States Constitution; its origin dates back to Chapter 40 of the Magna Carta of 1215, in which justice was not to be denied or delayed. [Source: Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment; Speedy Trial Legislation]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/speedy_trial_legislation

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