Court Observation Essay Examples

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After receiving notice of this assignment, I was thrilled to possibly observe a real trial, other than the usual mock trials I’ve participated in. So just picture this, an eager student excited to see some live action better than what I have seen on Law and Order. As I entered the courthouse for the first time in my adult life, I had so many mixed emotions traveling through my body. I felt this on multiple occasions as I furthered my knowledge of how a case actually works through the criminal justice system. I went to three different courts and observed different trial procedures. As I attended each court hearing, I documented my following experiences. I decided to first observe procedures at the Lawson E. Thomas Court Center, so I visited…show more content…
Sadly, but not discouraged yet, I decided to walk into courtroom 2-A. The bailiff informed me that there were no available seats, but to my luck, he told me that he would make room for me. The presiding judge was Judge Tanya S. Brinkley and on her docket that day she was going to be handling first appearances. As the defendants walked in, I was surprised at the mass amount. In the beginning, I found it intriguing that the defendants were sitting on the left side of the room, while from my personal experiences and from television shows, I’ve noticed that the jury normally sits on the right side. Immediately, I decided to Google if this had any meaning but sadly I learned that it just varies on the layout of the courtroom. Aside from me evaluating the layout, I noticed that this procedure was extremely fast-paced. Judge Brinkley saw around 20-23 defendants in an hour, I was so astonished! She informed the defendants of the purpose of this procedure, information regarding getting appointed a public defender, and the terms and conditions of a stay-away order. I actually did not enjoy watching this procedure just because the liberty of these defendants might be at risk and

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