Court Experience Paper

The presiding judge for the Kalamazoo County 8th district court on November 23, 2015 was one Tiffany A. Ankley. My observations took place from 945 a.m. to 1115 a.m.

Prosecuting those who commit crimes is very important to the overall wellbeing of society and the citizens within society. Prosecuting and convicting criminals not only prevents them from committing another crime, it also serves as a deterrent to others that may be considering breaking the law. Many courts make up the judicial branch and these courts are responsible for applying laws made by the government. The courts are made up of courtroom workgroups that are the basis of the courts proceedings.

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.

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.

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

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 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 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

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

Hello judges, jurors, and everyone else present in this court room today. My name is Dr. Alyssa Diaz and I am an expert witness. I was called here to testify on this court case. Also I am here to inform you how examining a piece of hair from a suspect from a crime can help to find out who actually did commit the crime. There are some basic things that people should know about hair.

The Crown Court was created by Courts Act 1971. The Crown Court of England and Wales is one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. It is the higher court of first instance in criminal cases. However, for some purposes the crown court is hierarchically subordinate to the High Court and its divisional Courts. The Crown Court also hears appeals against conviction and sentence from those convicted in the magistrates court. Appeals are usually heard by a circuit judge and two magistrates. The Crown Court also sentences defendants who have been committed for sentencing by magistrates, after having been summarily convicted of an either-way offence.

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

I visited that area 2 times within September 1st & 2nd. My first visit September 1st was at department 31 of the Court Proceedings. I walked within the courtroom at 1:30pm to find myself observing multiple convicted citizens sharing a similar action of resisting their probation of the law. Some of the probations problems mainly related to restraining orders and many other complicated matters. The court ended at 3:00pm. On the 2nd of September at 1:00pm I decided to visit department 41 of the Court Proceedings. Once the court started the judge present the case at hand. The court basically handles family emotions and schedule appointments. So throughout the court session I was listening to lots of emotional business at hand. The court ended at

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.