Reflect and share your personal experience of observing a provincial court case, highlighting what you learned and how it impacted your understanding of the judicial system.

How did the reality of the courtroom compare to your expectations?

The courtroom was similar to my expectations. My parents are lawyers so I grew up around the idea of what a courtroom actually looked like and I expected something similar to what I saw. I expected a room on the smaller side with the crown and defense on either side and the judge perched at the top and this is similar to what I ended up seeing. I expected the conversation in the court room to be professional and to the point and I found that this is what I mostly saw other then a few disagreements between the crown and defense. Overall I saw what I expected to see in the Surry Criminal Court and enjoyed my experience and learned valuable information.

What did you find most surprising or interesting?

I found the way lawyers conversed with one another to be a main point of interest. While conversing the Lawyers called one another “friend” as a way to keep things civil if disagreement came up and I enjoyed seeing how they question the person giving their testimony or each other. I also found it interesting when the judge came in and everyone bowed as a sign of respect showing the formality of court.

How did this experience change your understanding of the judicial process?

This experience changed the way I view the judicial process by showing in detail how cases are delt with in real time and how the timeline of events that are important to the case is so picked apart and questioned by the crown and the defense. My view on the way the judicial system treats those who testify was changed completely, the ones testifying are asked many questions and are pressed for answers with more force then I expected. Overall this experience helped me to better understand how the judicial system works and how the innerworkings function.

I can gather and combine new evidence with what I already know to develop reasoned conclusions, judgments, or plans. (based on your previous knowledge of the legal system and your newfound knowledge after attending multiple court cases)

I am able to discover new information as I actively learn more about the justice system and I have a great understanding of how the legal system works. I can combine the information that I already know with the things that I learn and form opinions about the things I am learning and create a judgement on the legal systems inner workings and how we view certain offences.