Court Experience Paper

I attended the District Court at 201 West Picacho Ave on March 7, 2011. I sat in on judge Mike Murphy's court. Judge Murphy started court promptly at 9:00 a.m. but before I got into the court I had to wait in a long line of about 30 people. then when I finally got to the court house door I had to go through a metal detector where I had to take off my belt and shoes and everything metal on my persons. Then I asked one of the officers working the metal dictator how I could ask to sit in on a criminal court that was going on this morning. She then directed me to court room four. I asked the bailiff if it was ok for me to sit in on court today for my criminal justice class, and if the case where criminal matters. The bailiff then told me that

The atmosphere of the courtroom was constantly changing, but was generally more calm and relaxed than the atmosphere of adult court. The room was free from excessive decor and was organized and clean cut. The environment was generally friendly, pleasant, polite and professional. When the judge appeared in court the atmosphere tensed and it was clear someone of a higher authority was present because everyone was very respectful.

On September 18th of 2015, I decided to attend a court sentencing at the Alameda Superior Court in Oakland. The experience was very interesting and enlightening on how the court system works. While I was there I learned found out a few things about the cases that was being sentenced that I don’t think most people know or could have known without attending the sentencing. I felt like I left the the courthouse with a better idea and grasp on how to act and what to listen for in a sentencing.

The first thing that we had to do at the juvenile detention center was to go through the metal detector and have our belongings scanned. The securities did not confiscate our cellphones, which was surprising to me because cellphones are always banned in the courtroom. After getting our name badges/passes, we walked into a courtroom. The courtroom was a lot smaller than I thought. There were only one row of seating; therefore, approximately only 10 individuals can sit in to listen to the cases. When the judge came into the courtroom, everyone stand up as a gesture of obedience to the state’s orders. After the judge sat down, the lawyers, the parties, and the witnesses went up to the judge and introduced who they are. The witnesses gave a testimony

I plan to attend the a homicide trial. I went by myself to Sonoma’s Superior Court buildings the day before and asked a woman working which cases would be good to go to and she recommended I come in the next day to see a triple homicide trial on Mark Capello. I have never been to a court proceeding before, so I am not exactly sure what to expect. I am excited at the prospect of viewing a homicide case. Will it be like the court shows on television? I enjoy watching dateline, and in that show they actually play clips of real court trials that have occurred. However, they only show the most interesting parts for television. I expect that this court proceeding will be different to what I have seen on t.v. I am picturing myself being

The Juvenile jail tour was one of the best tour I have ever went on and experience. I have never visited or been to a jail before, so it was very interesting seeing how the facility is like. My first impression of the jail was that it looked like a normal government building from the outside. The inside of the jail was very clean, quiet, and well secure with several guards and supervisors. I was a little surprise at how clean the facility looked because most jails that are seen through the media is very dirty and crowded. I was also surprise at how low the number of people they have locked up in the facility. I was expecting a higher number, but after hearing how expensive it is to house an inmate there it was reasonable. Furthermore, as we

What type of cases you heard and how are District Court cases different from Superior Court cases?

I decided to attend a night traffic court session at the Ventura Courthouse. The cases ranged from seat belt violations to reckless driving. Most of the defendants appeared before the court to request more time to pay the fines associated with the tickets. I was surprised to see that very few of the people in the courthouse were pleading not guilty. Only one person showed up to defend a case with legal help from an attorney of some sort.

I was still filled with anticipation and was quite surprised at the differences between my first and second experience. I was formally dressed and did not really blend in with anyone else sitting in the courtroom. The attorneys seemed to come and go as they pleased, with no deference or respect for the proceedings in session.

On October 21, 2014 I went to a court to listen in on some proceedings. It was pretty difficult to find one that was open to the public in this court. Many courtrooms were private or some hearings were irrelevant with what I was looking for. The bailiffs were really nice they helped guide us to the big courtroom that allowed proceedings to be heard by the public. There were some trials that we couldn’t attend because it was a more serious crime or there were juveniles involved and since they are under age we couldn’t be there for it. The courtroom I was in had a professional atmosphere to it but kind of unorganized because there were a bunch of papers all over the place and some of the inmates didn’t show up so the judge would put them to the side. Majority of the inmates being held for drugs, driving under the influence, or physical violence.

The Vista courthouse experience was very informative. The only downside to this experience was not being able to stay and watch the proceedings in department 14. I really enjoyed watching how easily department 14 flows with the high volume of people. I didn’t understand the codes they were using, which made it harder to know what people were being charged. One thing I did notice just by sitting and trying to understand the codes was the appearance of everyone. Most people looked a little dishevel and like they were part of the lower SES. Another thing I noticed was the ability to navigate the court system that people displayed. It is easy to say that many of those people were not first timers. Most of them most likely have a length criminal

Being located in the Federal building I have received tours of the court rooms and have had the opportunity to meet the judges and their staff. I feel I have been given a great lenses to observe the interworking of the courthouse and how cases progress through the criminal justice system. In working with the agents in particular, I have been able to see the different ways a federal case can be assembled within the guidelines and can lead to a federal

On observing the District Court a number of distinctions from the Local Courts were immediately made apparent. Without going in to detail about the actual structure of the courts, they seemed to fit more closely with the traditional schema of a typical courtroom. In particular the larger courtrooms with more facilities combined with the barristers and magistrates wearing their wig and robes seemed to instantly uphold the ideology of justice. It is interesting to note how appearances can automatically provide an impression that justice will be upheld. The

That same day I headed down to the magistrate court I had been here before. This court is more of assembly line justice sine each case is probably like 5 minutes long. The judges name was locatell. The first case I heard was a male he was being charged with reckless driving. The judge then tells him that is a 5 day minimum in jail. At this point u enter a plea he entedred a not guilty plead. After he please there is a bench trail and there will be a posector and see what you sentence will be and the cop that issued the ticket will be there so that both stories can be heard. What I also noticed at this court is that you don’t have to be dressed up you can show up like you just rolled out of bed.

The courts of the United Kingdom are institutions there are aim justice to all and deliver fair and equal trails. Although ‘fair and equal’ are not always true to some cases along with ‘justice to all’. Never the less either convicting someone for unlawful activity or resolving a civil dispute, the British legal system employs a variety of courts in its application of the law. It much reminds me of my home country the United States the different level of courts I mean. Magistrates courts have the jurisdiction to try minor offences then for more serious offences are referred to the Crown courts. There are also appellate courts, which include the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court; formally known as the House of Lords. To