Field Trip to a Courtroom?

[yvonne]

Hi,

 

When I was in grade school, we took a field trip to a courtroom to watch part of a trial. Can one still do that? And, if so, who would I talk to at a courthouse/?? about setting up a trip? Or, can one just go sit in on a courtroom?

 

Thanks! I'm obviously clueless!

yvonne

[StephanieZ]

I am sure courtrooms are still generally public places, as it is something of a law.

 

I'd guess you'd want to be careful to choose appropriate trials. Not something gory (major criminal) or too scary (family/divorce). Big cases drag on for days and would be pretty boring with all the procedural stuff.

 

I'd think traffic court might be good unless it was super fast cases and boring. DUIs, speeding, wreckless driving?? Those could be good ones.

 

You could call the Clerk of Court for your county courthouse and just tell her/him what you are after and ask for advice. You'll probably have the best bet that way. (The clerks generally know everything and typically do scheduling as well. . . so they'd be in the know.)

[hsmamainva]

I'd check with your local courthouse.

 

In our county, no one under age 12 is allowed in the courtroom, and juvenile / domestic court is closed to the public.

[Miss Marple]

We just did this 2 weeks ago for our Civics class! We called the courthouse and they gave us the dockets which would be available at the time we wanted to attend. Since it is a small-ish town, there are times when the courts aren't too busy. Anyways, we were able to observe a truancy court. The judge spent some time with our kids before the court began telling them what they could expect, a bit about the truancy program, and answering questions. At the end of the proceedings, she again talked with the kids in order to answer any questions they had about what they had just seen.

 

It was a wonderful opportunity for the kids (we had about 20) and the judge and staff were very helpful and enthusiastic to have us.

 

We have also attended a city council meeting, and next week we will be touring the jail :001_smile:

[yvonne]

Thanks, Stephanie. I'll try the Court Clerk in January. Hm. How does one find the Court Clerk? I guess I could go to one of the courthouses near us and just ask the security people at the front?

 

Don't worry... I'd definitely steer clear of violent crime cases and I believe family court cases here are closed, but I wouldn't want to see those, either.

 

And thanks for the heads-up about the minimum age, Kelly. My boys are only nine, but I hope they'd be able to see a courtroom in action, even if it's just traffic court.

 

Cynthia, that's just what my class did when we went on a field trip waay back in grade schoo. I remember being impressed, even at the time, that the judge and one of the attorneys would bother to spend time talking to us and answering questions! Thanks for posting about your experience!

 

yvonne

[2squared]

My dh is a county attorney, and he just had 2 high school kids shadow him for a day. The kids went into chambers with the lawyers and everything.

 

Your county should have a website listing who's who of the judicial system. Most court cases are open to the public, but I agree that you would want to know what is on the docket. You don't want to sit through a lot of boring traffic issues. :tongue_smilie: I would prefer deadbeat dads and such where you have the opportunity to hear some lectures from the judge. :D

 

I would think your 7yo could go too. My 7yo and 5yo have watched dh in court. I think my 5yo was bored, but my 7yo handled it just fine.

[yvonne]

Thanks, Jennifer! I'm off to check the county website.

 

What a great thing for your husband to do to let the two teens shadow him for a day! That's one thing I wish I'd had more access to as a young person... interaction with people in different fields.

 

yvonne