Describe the wedding cake model of the criminal justice system. Be sure to provide examples of the ...

Samuel Walker's criminal justice wedding cake model consists of four layers that represent different kinds of crime. The top and smallest layer is made up of celebrated cases that attract media attention and that are not representative of how the court system works. The second layer consists of serious felonies such as murders, rapes, and other felonies taken in the context of the defendant's criminal record, victim-offender relationship, and the seriousness of the crime. The third layer is made up of less serious felonies and the forth layer is made up of the more numerous, but less serious, misdemeanors. Within each layer, there is much consistency; the disparities are found between cases in different layers. In general, the wedding cake model describes how the criminal justice system differentially handles different types of cases; more attention is given to cases at the top of the wedding cake than at the bottom.