Because the United States Constitution guarantees arrested persons the right to a “speedy public trial,” every case heard in a court of law is completely open to the public. When I told people I always wanted to see a court case in a real live courtroom, a lot of them probably thought, “is that allowed? Someone just coming in randomly to watch?” YES! Not only is it allowed, it is part of the accused person’s Constitutional Rights!
So… today I sat in on my first few cases in a Philadelphia courtroom. It was soooo cool. But I’ve got to admit, kind of depressing. For those who are into the whole law-and-order, criminal justice stuff, the hearings I observed were only preliminary hearings; (This kind of hearing is the very first time the arrested person appears before a judge after their arrest. The attorneys argue over evidence briefly and then the judge decides if there’s enough substantial evidence to continue to a trial on a later date. If there is adequate evidence, the case is placed on hold for several weeks until a jury is put together to have a trial. If the evidence is too weak, the judge will actually drop the case and the defendant will be released!)
In these hearings, the judge also decides whether or not to approve a lower bail amount if the defendant cannot afford bail.
I must admit, it was a tiny bit depressing to see the defendants (the person accused of the crime)... especially the sad ones who couldn’t afford bail and were brought into the courtroom straight from the jail… It was even SADDER when the judge denied lowering some of their bails. Maybe I shouldn’t feel bad for them- the people I observed were burglars and drug dealers, literally…
well, technically they didn’t do anything until it’s proven in the trial. Lol innocent until proven guilty, baby!
One guy got lucky, though. The judge dropped most of his charges due to weak evidence. I was a little happy for him, but he’s still got to fight the ones left lol.
Ohh the American Criminal Justice System… :-/ so interesting, yet so controversial.
