Ilana Morgounovski
The visit to the Manhattan Criminal court was very educational. Before having actually sat in on real cases, most of us probably pictured the proceedings as they are depicted in movies or on T.V. shows. In actuality, smaller cases go very fast. During the arraignments we had a chance to listen to why some people were arrested- the reasons were various. A couple of restraining orders were issued. One case that struck me in particular, was of a young African-American man who was arrested for holding up traffic in the street, because 3 people claimed he blocked their way. That seems like a very strange reason to be arrested for, and I think that the public defendant made a good point, when he spoke about how so many people struggle to get around in Times Square, and this was no different. It makes you think about racial profiling by the police, and whether or not the city budget is being properly spent. Also, the first court was not as disciplined as you would see on TV. After having advocated for a woman who had her children taken away because of abandonment, the lawyer went to his computer to chat on Facebook. I found that a bit shocking, since it shows how the lawyers have no regard for their clients’ troubles, and this was just another day for them. It makes me think if some of them are really putting a hundred percent effort when defending the people who are seen by the judge. I guess some care more than others, like the lawyer who defended the young man in the above-mentioned case. The second court proceeding we saw was more formal, with a much more serious subject matter- someone was charged with a shooting- I am not sure if it was murder or attempted murder or something slightly different. We only listened to a few minutes of questioning, but this experience made me aware that crime is something more than what you see on the news. Even though we may believe we already know this, hearing someone speak of an actual shooting at which he was present, made me acknowledge how such crimes are not uncommon, and that perhaps not all the cases make it onto the news.
