The base layer in the wedding cake model represents the least severe and most common offenses. The top layer represents a small but widely-known handful of “celebrated cases.” Finally, there are two additional layers in between, which represent violent and non-violent felonies.
The wedding cake model of criminal justice is a model of the criminal justice process whereby a four-tiered hierarchy exists, with a few celebrated cases at the top, and lower tiers increasing in size as the severity of cases become less (serious felonies, felonies, and misdemeanors).
How does Samuel Walker compare criminal justice to a wedding cake?
Samuel Walker studied the criminal justice process and compared it to a four-tiered wedding cake.
According to Walker, cases entering the criminal justice system were treated differently according to the tier they occupied on the wedding cake.
The first level at the top of the cake is reserved for high-profile cases.
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How Media Affects Criminal Justice Policy
You’ve probably heard the phrase “trial by media,” which refers to the phenomenon of media coverage shaping public perception of a case.
For example, an unflattering mugshot, selectively edited interview clip, or out-of-context quote can make a defendant appear guilty to the public eye — even if there hasn’t actually been a guilty plea or verdict. .
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Limitations of The Wedding Cake Model
Though it provides a useful framework for looking at criminal proceedings in the United States, there are many otheraspects of the justice system that the model does not address.
Therefore, we must look to different models and theories to understand these other aspects.
For example, while Sense and Nonsense About Crime examines issues like poverty .
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The Layers of The Wedding Cake Model
The wedding cake model of criminal justice is made up of four separate tiers or layers, which represent levels of criminal cases within the U.S. justice system.
As the abstract of Sense and Nonsense About Crime explains, “The top ‘layer’ of the ‘wedding cake’ includes ‘celebrated cases’; the second and third ‘layer’ are comprised of two general cat.
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What is a misdemeanor in a wedding cake?
The final layer of the wedding cake model includes ,misdemeanor cases.
These are the least-serious types of crimes in the criminal justice system, excluding traffic infractions.
These types of cases include:
petty or minor theft and disturbing the peace.
Misdemeanors represent the largest category of cases in the criminal justice system. ,
What is a “celebrated case” in a wedding cake?
The first level of criminal cases represent the top tier of the cake.
This level of the wedding cake model contains high profile cases that typically concern the rich and wealthy, celebrities, or people with higher statuses in society.
Criminal justice professionals refer to these cases as “celebrated cases”.
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What is the wedding cake model of Criminal Justice?
The Wedding Cake Model of Criminal Justice is a model that expresses the criminal justice process in a four-tier hierarchy.
The lower tiers typically include:
less serious cases and informal processes are likely to occur whereas the higher tiers contain few celebrated cases and more serious crimes. ,
What Is The Wedding Cake Model of Criminal Justice?
The wedding cake model, first popularized by Samuel Walker during the 1980s, is a model of crime that consists of four primary groups.
First, the model classifies crimes based on their nature and severity, ranging from petty theft and other non-violent misdemeanors to the most severe and violent offenses.
Crucially, it also reflects how the resulti.
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Why The Wedding Cake Model Matters
High-profile criminal cases receive disproportionate coverage in news and media entertainment.
Typically, these are cases involving charges against celebrities or politicians or shocking and extreme acts of violence, like alleged serial murders.
Some examples that likely come to mind include the cases of O.J.
Simpson, Bernie Madoff, Michael Jackson.
