The sixth amendment otherwise known as amendment IV was made to be part of the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution in 1789 and seeks justice for defendants. According to the amendment, a Unites States citizen has a right to speedy trial, an attorney in case the accused needs one, and a fair jury. Aside from this, the defendant has the right to confront the plaintiff or the witnesses that are presenting the case.
Breaking down the Sixth Amendment
The fact that one is entitled to a speedy trial does not mean that the trial should be over a week after it started. This line means that the state does not have the right to hold someone in jail for too long, say 4 years, as the trial goes only (Appleman, 2012) . For example, holding a defendant for that long and then the court finally declaring that the individual is innocent would not be fair to the accused.
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The right to a fair jury dictates that the jury should be impartial in its decisions. The jurors cannot be biased against the defendant or prejudiced against the individual since it would be unfair for the accused. Other than this, the state should provide an individual with an attorney if the defendant does not have one and requests for one (Chhablani, 2008) . For instance, for individuals that are proved to be mentally unfit, the state is obliged to provide them with an attorney.
The amendment grants the accused the right to have any person that he believes can help them with the case attend the trial. The court can also order the defendant to appear in court in person without fail. It is worthwhile mentioning that the sixth amendment applies to all states.
References
Appleman, L. I. (2012). Justice in the Shadowlands: Pretrial Detention, Punishment, & the Sixth Amendment. Wash. & Lee L. Rev. , 69 , 1297.
Chhablani, S. (2008). Disentangling the Sixth Amendment. U. Pa. J. Const. L. , 11 , 487.
