Criminal Court Tour | EssayIvy.com

Running head: COURTROOM OBSERVATION 1

COURTROOM OBSERVATION

Name

Institution

COURTROOM OBSERVATION 2

Courtroom Observation

Introduction

Following the observations from two courts proceedings, I would proceed to give an

account as follows. The first court was the Accomack General District Court and the second

court was the Charlottesville Criminal Court in Virginia. The courts are held to maintain order

and to resolve local disputes in the society. Since the inception of the judicial system in solving

conflicts, the system has a lifespan of close to six centuries. Criminal courts have served several

benefits and interest of the society through practicing justice and fairness. A criminal court

makes it possible to resolve disputes and conflicts between citizens as it provides a peaceful and

orderly way to handle grievances. Furthermore, criminal court protects people from criminals

who would cause physical harm or take other peoples’ property. Moreover, criminal court helps

the government to accomplish certain socially beneficial tasks such as controlling pollution and

collecting taxes (Allen, 2015). The purpose of this observation paper is to reflect a personal view

on how court proceedings affect the administration of justice and comparing the opinion with a

relevant source.

Court Room Observation

To establish the trial to observe, I researched on the scheduled cases available at

the registry. I initially attended Accomack General District Court where I was guided to

courtroom 20 that was situated on the first floor of the building. The courtroom layout was

simple with no raised layers except for the area where the judge sat. The room did not have a

defendant’s box, and there was no police, the judge was a tall, middle-aged man from the whites’

middle class, and the public sat on the backside of the court. The sitting position we both faced

COURTROOM OBSERVATION 3

the jury but opposite the respondent with his solicitor. The barrister sat in front of them but on a

different layer.

The case involved a car incidence and included a claim from one party and a

counterclaim from the other. Apparently, the defendant did not notice the plaintiff car

approaching and try to avoid it. The defendant claimed for personal damages because of the

accident that injured his leg and his lower back when his car collided with the woman. An

examination conducted by both parties confirmed the validity of the claims. She stated that she

had parked her car at the end of the left side of the road and had gone to the nearby shops. When

she came back and wanted to leave the road, she did not notice the defendant’s car, and that’s

how they crashed. She was then cross-examined by both parties and went back to sit. The

defendant, on the other side, stated that he was driving across the road and the claimant’s car

came to his side of the road without any indications. He continued to report that he had tried to

avoid her but his efforts went fruitless. In an affidavit sworn by both the victim and his doctor, it

was clear that the applicant broke his lower limb in the car accident. Among the witnesses from

the defendant’s side was his father-in-law who eyewitnesses the incident. He, however, seemed a

bit confused during the cross-examination because his answers were negative. The judge finally

summarized the evidence that was presented to him and gave a final judgment at the end of the

trial. All the costs of the incident were to be shared equally by the claimant and the defendant

while the test costs were to be paid by the respondent.

I also visited the Charlottesville Criminal Court in Virginia to observe a criminal court.

The court layout in Charlottesville was more delicate compared to the Accomack General

District Court's design. Moreover, I could see the police around the place, which made it even

more formal.

COURTROOM OBSERVATION 4

The courtroom layout looked so traditional. The judge sat on a raised ground for the easy

view of the public. It also included a raised layer where the judge sat while the barrister stood at

the central part. The defendant box was placed at the center of the courtroom. The public sat in

an upstairs gallery at the back of the courtroom.

The case was about a fight that involved two neighbors with the prosecutor as a woman

and the defendant being a 30-year-old man who had beaten up the woman together with her

daughter because of a parking space. The woman was absent in the courtroom, so her witness

statement was read. At the defendant’s box, the man denied beating up the woman and her

daughter and went on to claim to have been terrified because he has been receiving threats

recently and also stated that the woman was dangerous. While defending the client’s innocence,

the lawyer medical report showing that the deceased was not strangled to death. It was decided

that the argument was not very reliable because the signs of strangling may have gone away by

the time the defendant underwent the medical test. Drama commenced after applicant’s daughter

claimed that she had received threats from the respondent confidants. She began to cry afterward

many arguments were heard at the end of the proceedings that influenced the decision of the

judge. The case took a very long time, and the court, therefore, had to set another day for the

conclusion. I, however, have faith that the jury will pass a fair judgment.

Comparison of the Observations with Relevant Material

In the determination of the case, the jury listened to both the applicant’s statement and the

respondent’s submissions simultaneously. In normal circumstances under the legal way, each

claim is supposed to be examined individually, but here this was not applied. However, in this

case, it was acceptable for the judge to consider both claims simultaneously to save the time of

COURTROOM OBSERVATION 5

the court. Administration of justice was, therefore not compromised in this case (Bobo, &

Thompson, 2006).

I also observed that both the claimant and the defendant were given enough time to the

witness stands to express themselves before they were cross-examined by both parties. From my

point of view, the jury provided sufficient time for both the parties to submit their responses

without favoring either side. According to Bobo, & Thomson, (2006), the act of the judge

implied that there was a free and fair trial to both parties because none of them was locked out of

the trials.

I also observed that the main aspect that may discourage parties from claiming is the

many questioning sessions and cross-examination that they have to go through. Besides, all the

representative were given ample time to respond, correct and paraphrase any technical jargon

that was not well understood. According to view, the lawyers who represented the case had

commended level of competencies like the clear articulation of points and excellent

communication skills. The barristers and solicitors played their roles well in the courtroom

regarding presenting the case and doing the bodywork respectively.

From the second instance, I observed that the trials by the jury take so much time because

the judge had to explain every single detail in the simplest way possible for the everyday citizens

to understand. The presentation of facts was simple, straightforward with little reference from

law scripts and witnesses. The participation was exceptional as the judge imposed the use of

question-answer, discussions in the hearing process. Such a participative session makes the

access of required information accessible (Neubauer & Fradella, 2015).

COURTROOM OBSERVATION 6

The weight of the criminal actions presented before the Charlottesville criminal court

were more intense than the previous one. The former required more police intervention to ensure

that facts were found through thorough investigations.

In both the cases, many people were representing the parties before the jury. It is

important to involve every interested party in a case to acquire the required facts without biases.

In some cases, there were special instances where the issues at hand were sensitive and severe;

therefore, we waited for the judge to give his rulings and directions before proceeding. Neubauer

& Fradella, (2015) indicated that despite the fact that the matters were simple, understandable to

the public, the judgment was confident with the judge only.

Conclusion

In summary, the experience in the courtroom gave me confidence in the judicial system.

Since the inception of the court system in solving disputes, the system has a lifespan of close to

six centuries. Criminal courts have served several benefits and interest of the society through

practicing justice and fairness. I, therefore, noticed that the tribunals are very efficient in hearing

cases and obtaining very accurate outcomes, but it is still not clear if the jury, judges and the

other legal advocates are in a position to compromise justice and instead sympathize with the

public due to personal interests. What is the penalty? How is it enforced?

COURTROOM OBSERVATION 7

References

Allen, M. J. (2015). Textbook on criminal law. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University

Press.

Bobo, L. D., & Thompson, V. (2006). Unfair by design: The war on drugs, race, and the

legitimacy of the criminal justice system. Social Research: An International Quarterly,

73(2), 445-472.

Neubauer, D. W., & Fradella, H. F. (2015). America's courts and the criminal justice system.

Cengage Learning.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."