On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, I spent my day observing juvenile detention hearings and a drug court trial in Mercer County, New Jersey.
For my first observation, I went to Mercer Family Division in Mercer County, New Jersey. I observed several juvenile detention hearings. I asked one of my previous supervisors if I could sit in with her during her time in court. Overall the process for each child went relatively briefly. The detention center has two buses that transport the juveniles from the detention centers to the courthouse, one 8 am and another at 10 am. For each case, a juvenile is brought to the courtroom from a holding cell that is located in the basement of the courthouse. At first, I thought it was callous how quickly the judge …show more content…
The defendant was charged with Possession of a controlled substance - more than 5 g of marijuana in a motor vehicle. The defendant was represented by a public defender. The defendant claimed that someone was working on his car when the marijuana was left behind and he was unaware of the presence of the drug until he got pulled over for a traffic violation and reach into his glove compartment.
During the judge’s opening remarks he stated that at twenty-four the defendant had been in trouble within law, in particular, drug, on several occasions and that jail is where he should remain. I had to leave before the trial concluded, however, it did not look good for the defendant.
I found the over experience to be beneficial. The atmosphere of Drug court versus Family Court was visibly distinctive. The cases that are heard in the Drug courtroom dealt with large amounts of drugs, therefore, the penalty is greater. The drug court judge was stern and intolerable. However, in Family court, there is ample support within the courtroom and the atmosphere is more casual. I was able to see the some of the judicial processes through Family Court and Drug Court. Since I would like to practice criminal law the opportunity made me more eager to gain more trial and courtroom
For my first observation, I went to Mercer Family Division in Mercer County, New Jersey. I observed several juvenile detention hearings. I asked one of my previous supervisors if I could sit in with her during her time in court. Overall the process for each child went relatively briefly. The detention center has two buses that transport the juveniles from the detention centers to the courthouse, one 8 am and another at 10 am. For each case, a juvenile is brought to the courtroom from a holding cell that is located in the basement of the courthouse. At first, I thought it was callous how quickly the judge …show more content…
The defendant was charged with Possession of a controlled substance - more than 5 g of marijuana in a motor vehicle. The defendant was represented by a public defender. The defendant claimed that someone was working on his car when the marijuana was left behind and he was unaware of the presence of the drug until he got pulled over for a traffic violation and reach into his glove compartment.
During the judge’s opening remarks he stated that at twenty-four the defendant had been in trouble within law, in particular, drug, on several occasions and that jail is where he should remain. I had to leave before the trial concluded, however, it did not look good for the defendant.
I found the over experience to be beneficial. The atmosphere of Drug court versus Family Court was visibly distinctive. The cases that are heard in the Drug courtroom dealt with large amounts of drugs, therefore, the penalty is greater. The drug court judge was stern and intolerable. However, in Family court, there is ample support within the courtroom and the atmosphere is more casual. I was able to see the some of the judicial processes through Family Court and Drug Court. Since I would like to practice criminal law the opportunity made me more eager to gain more trial and courtroom