Topic > Mapp v. Ohio and the Fourth Amendment - 762

The United States Constitution has unique amendments to advance the rights of its citizens. One of them is the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment emphasizes the right of the people to the security of their persons, homes and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrant shall be issued, except upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and in particular to describe the place to be searched and the people or things to be seized (Worral, 2012). In other words, this change gave meaning to two legal concepts: the prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures and the requirement to provide reasonable cause to issue a warrant. This leads to the introduction of the landmark Supreme Court case Mapp v. Ohio and link to a fact pattern (similar case). Both cases will be analyzed showing the importance of the facts and arguments regarding the exclusionary rule and the poisonous doctrine. In the given fact pattern, Mark Quickdraw, a detective is conducting an investigative case whose main mission is to catch a drug dealer named Sally Martin. Detective Quickdraw relies on what he heard about the drug dealer. This leads him to believe that she will sell cocaine on the street where he lives. In relation to this belief, this demonstrates the reasonable suspicion he had towards the drug dealer. Followed by reasonableness, he sends an informant Sneak Pete to his house with police money in an attempt to purchase cocaine. The informant returns and delivers a bag of cocaine obtained from a man at the residence. He also informs the detective that he suspects the dealer has quantities of drugs as he observes white plastic bags and digital scales. Not satisfied... half of the document... for the Court. This leads to explanations that lead to the conclusion that there are implications of being part of the criminal justice system. The exclusionary rule along with other terms of justice such as fruit of the poisoned tree forces the police and other members of law enforcement to obtain evidence properly and in accordance with due process. According to the textbook Criminal Justice in Action, any arrest or seizure is unreasonable unless supported by probable cause (Gaines, 2011). More than probable cause, police officers should rely on facts and circumstances that will lead them to arrest the individual accordingly. Works Cited Britz, M. T. (2008). Criminal trials. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.Gaines, L. K. (2011). Criminal justice in action. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.Worral, J.L. (2012). Criminal procedure. Dallas, TX: Pearson Education .