The American criminal justice system is cloaked in secrecy. The government employs covert surveillance operations. Grand-jury proceedings are hidden from public view. Prosecutors engage in closed-door plea-bargaining and bury exculpatory evidence. Juries convict defendants on secret evidence. Jury deliberations are a black box. And jails and prisons implement clandestine punishment practices. Although there are some justifications for this secrecy, the ubiquitous nature of it is contrary to this nation’s Founders’ steadfast belief in the transparency of criminal justice proceedings. Further, the pervasiveness of secrecy within today’s criminal justice system raises serious constitutional concerns. The accumulation of secrecy and the aggregation of these concerns create a real constitutional problem.

中文翻译：

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刑事司法秘密

美国刑事司法系统处于保密状态。政府采用秘密监视行动。大陪审团的程序是隐藏在公众视野之外的。检察官进行闭门辩诉交易并掩埋无罪证据。陪审团根据秘密证据将被告定罪。陪审团的审议是一个黑匣子。监狱和监狱实行秘密惩罚做法。尽管这种保密有一些理由，但它无处不在的性质与这个国家的创始人对刑事司法程序透明度的坚定信念背道而驰。此外，当今刑事司法系统中普遍存在的保密问题引发了严重的宪法问题。保密的积累和这些担忧的聚集造成了一个真正的宪法问题。