There exists two distinct forms of discovery systems; the closed and the open discovery systems. In the open discovery system, the prosecution offers a wider array of information to the defence whereas in the closed discovery system, restrictive information is offered the defence (Ferdico, 2013). Based on a personal point of view, the open discovery system is the better approach to ensuring efficiency in the field of criminal justice. It is of essence to note that the open discovery system offers a wider array of information to the defence, which assures that the defence prepared adequately for the final trial. As a result, the use of open discovery system goes a long way in limiting the occurrence of wrongful convictions, which has been eminent in the recent past.
When compared to the closed discovery system, the open discovery system is best suited to assure that fairness is observed when making the final decisions of different court cases. While is true that application of the open discovery system may jeopardize court operations, it is of immense benefit to note that its applications is guided by certain principles. In fact, the use of open discovery system offers information that may require more stringent investigations to be carried out by the law enforcements agencies. Certainly, such investigations offer more evidence that supplement the quality of cases to be presented for trial.
It is also imperative to note that the use of open discovery systems plays an indirect role in enhancing the performance of law enforcement agencies. This is because the open discovery system offers all the information regarding the case to the defence. Therefore, in cases of any discrepancies in such information, the law enforcement agencies will be called upon to offer reasons for the notable discrepancies (Ferdico, 2013). For this reason, the use of open discovery systems increases the performance of law enforcement agencies as they keep in mind that they may be called upon to substantiate the evidence offered to the defence.
Reference
Ferdico, J. N., Fradella, H. F., & Totten, C. D. (2013). Criminal procedure for the criminal justice professional. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
