Courthouse Observation

Name
Institution
Course
Date
Courthouse Observation
On Friday April 27, 2018, I went to the Melbourne County Criminal Court to observe the case involving abortion where both the mother and the child had died. The judge was presiding over the proceedings. When arriving at the courthouse, I met security officers who instructed to leave any mobile phone or any other material with the capacity to prompt mental detector. The court officers directed me to the courtroom (DeWalt and DeWalt 235). I sat at the back of the courtroom where I saw the prosecutor and the defence lawyer participating in the cross-examination of the witness. The presiding judge and the prosecutor were involved in a discussion before the judgement was delivered.
The courthouse was spacious enough and was well organized, lit and ventilated. Since this was an academic activity, my classmate accompanied me. Both the defendant’s lawyer and the prosecutor attempted to proof their cases before the judge. They used witnesses coupled with a wide range of exhibits to demonstrate the innocence of their clients. Additionally, they both spoke precisely and were audible enough. Similarly, they were direct and to the point as they illustrated their side of the story (DeWalt and DeWalt 235). On the other hand, the presiding judge acted in a professional manner and facilitated seamless proceedings of the court. Additionally, she did not display any form of emotion when reacting to either the prosecutor or the defence counsel.

Moreover, both the prosecutor and the defence counsel displayed professionalism in their work. They questioned and cross-examined the witness in a concise manner. The jury comprised a total of 15 juries, 7 men and 8 women.
In conclusion, the proceedings in the court were conducted in a proper manner where both the defence counsel and the prosecutor demonstrated professionalism. The presiding judge had a balanced control of the proceedings. In this regard, the court observation reinforced my belief that the courtroom is an interesting place where all actors work in a proficient way (DeWalt and DeWalt 235).

Work Cited
DeWalt, Kathleen M., and Billie R. DeWalt. Participant observation: A guide for fieldworkers. Rowman Altamira, 2011.