Stepping Into the Courtroom
Stepping Into the Courtroom
The Legal Studies students had the opportunity to visit the Magistrates Court as part of their study of dispute resolution. During the visit, they observed a range of criminal cases, typically involving less serious offences, though often characterised by repeated offending by the defendant.
Ms Lucyna Zwolski
Legal Studies Teacher
Students Reflect on Their Magistrates Court Experience:
“At the Magistrate courts I was amazed how many court rooms there were, and how many cases happening all at once. First, we went into court room number 2 where we saw a few different cases some related to driver’s licence getting suspended, drunk driving, drug usage/trafficking, assault, possession of a fire arm and more. A case that stood out to me the most was in court 22, a 18-year-old, in Year 12 applied for bail that was then denied. He attempted to steal an 84-year-old man’s car and detaining the 84-year-old. He assaulted the man whilst apologizing and refusing to let the old man call an ambulance till three hours later. Most of the cases were conducted very quickly with the lawyers presenting the case to the judge and fighting for their client, some of the defendants were put on the screen on FaceTime as they were in custody but some others with minor offenses or on bail were in the court room with their lawyer.” Charlotte H
“Most of the defendants had legal representation, as it is their right to ask for legal aid. However, a woman did not have contact with her lawyer and answered her pleas on her own. Additionally, we saw a face-time call in which the lawyer did not pick up. Because these men wanted legal representation, they could not move forward with the trial.” Amelie C
“While at the Magistrates court, we witnessed various cases. Some included drunk driving while having a suspended license, assault, and possession of a firearm. Each case was different, as some defendants were absent, or in custody, and one defendant had no lawyer, and showed up alone.” Evie M
“It was very intriguing to be able to see such a variety of court cases so efficiently, since they moved quite quickly between cases. It was a much more fast-paced environment than I expected. I also noticed the level of security and the amount of respect everyone gives to the magistrate in the room (everyone bows when they enter/exit the room). However, I also noticed that there is a great deal of protection and leniency for defendants, as lawyers successfully request adjournments which keeps the defendants out of jail or from other forms of punishment if they are eventually found to be guilty, and that there isn’t any immediate punishment for not being present in court.” Macey L
