Nicholas’ Soccer Blog

Entering a Courtroom…

Before entering the courtroom all people involved must go through a security check were police officer will check I.D. and check all clothing for weapons or firearms. When the accused enters the courtroom he is probably thinking ( if he is guilty) “Oh I hope I get off cleanly, I don’t want to go to jail for the rest of my life” (If he is innocent) “This is rediculous, I never did anything… life can be so unfair”

What is done to make the process of justice fair?

One thing that makes the process of justice fair is that “the accused” is innocent until proven guilty. If things did not work this way someone could accuse another person falsely and the accused may have nothing to prove their innocence. The courtroom is accessible to disabled or wheelchair witnesses which allows them to take part as well. A native worker is allowed in a courtroom (if there is a aboriginal in part of the process) to assure that their culture is not offended and everything flows smoothly for that person. The judge must listen to everything both parties have to say. Members of the jury must not have a criminal record and must not know anyway accusing or being accused. Witnesses must swear an oath of truth before speaking.

Jobs in a courtroom

• The Judge- The Judge must listen to everything the crown prosecutor, defendant lawyer and the witnesses have to say. In some cases the judge must make the decision on whether the defendant is innocent or guilty and what their sentence will be, but sometimes the jury will decide. The Judge must be able to keep peace in the courtroom and be able to make a fir decision to the best of his ability.
• Court Clerk-A Court Clerk must ask witnesses to swear oath, call people up to speak and assist judge in other matters depending on the situation.
• Crown Prosecutor- The Crown Prosecutor (lawyer) represents the society, prevents important evidence and in some cases decides which witnesses to call up to speak. The Crown Prosecutor must also address the charges they are attempting to place on the accused, whoever that may be.
• Investigating Officer- The Investigating Officer is the police officer that gathered evidence and/or found the accused commiting a crime. The Investigating officer will explain the case to the Crown Prosecutor who will then take the case to court.
• Court Reporter- A Court Reporter is like a newspaper reporter accept for court cases. The reporter is not allowed pictures and is sometimes not allowed to publicise the accused name depending on the Judges decision.
• Defence Lawyer- The Defence Lawyer (defendant) works for the accused and speaks for the accused in an attempt at maintaining his clients innocence. The Defence Lawyer must be able to stay calm and should be clever and convincing. Also The defendant should be good at arguing.
• The Press- The press records (usually by typing) everything said during court. Usually not allowed to speak or interupt.
• Court Officer- The Court Officer (Sherrif/Police Officer) escorts the accused in, if the accused is in custody, The Court Officer is responsible for everybody’s safety.
• Witness- A Witness is a person who knows something important about the case and is invited by someone involved to share information. The witness must sware an oath on the bible (or not on the bible if they aren’t religious) to tell the truth before they share any information or speak what so ever.

Main Source- Court Prep Site

Hi Guys,

Today our class watched the inauguration of President Barack Obama. I think this event had a huge impact on not just American history but history in general. The fact that an African American man can be placed in one of the highest ranks in the world. What a change. A few years ago I doubt an African American could run for president never mind actually winning. I noticed that people were very excited about this transition more so than others. I thought the reason for this might be one of two things. First the fact that he is African American or……. that their economy is not doing well and they just want a change. They being almost the whole world.

I am interested what your opinions are on the topic. Why do you think this transition had such an impact on the world? Also, do you think Barack Obama will do well? Leave a comment and I will leave  a comment on your blog.

Photo: (Barack Obama) by, El Sol

Thanks for reading!

On Remembrance Day our class did an assignment where we had to draw a watercolour picture of someone dreaming of either Flanders Fields or life in the war. I chose this picture to draw because the man who worked in the army (shown in the bottom of the picture) is remembering his friends’ gravestones in Flanders Fields. Many other soldiers died in the war! It was a terrible time for everyone. Unfortunately we are still involved in a war right now in Afghanistan.

Here in Canada we celebrate Remembrance Day. We celebrate it on November 11th. Remembrance Day is held in memory of the Canadian soldiers who died during the war. In class we are writing stories and poems about Remembrance Day. We learned about when the soldiers fought in trenches over no mans land. Our teacher read us a book about life in the trenches. It sounded terrible and made me feel even more in debt to those who fought for our country. The book told us about things like “trench foot”. It is what soldiers would get from having their feet in the water of the trenches for too long. The book also told us about how the soldier would eventually have to leave their trenches and go into no mans land to fight. There would be a very good chance of getting shot. They had to go out though because if they didn’t their punishment from higher commands would be death! The soldiers would also miss their families because some wars like World War 2 can go on for 6 years.

What are your feelings about the war? Leave a comment.

Today we watched a video called the Girl Effect. It made me feel bad for those who don’t even get a chance. Especially the girls, who in some countries aren’t even allowed to get an education. How is it that we can fix that? Simple. Give them a chance. A small loan perhaps. Once one girl is successful she can bring  success to all the other girls by proving to people that girls are valuable and can do more than just cook meals for their kids.

Something we could do as a community to help everyone in poverty is create a fundraiser and donate what we can to those who are in need.