Courthouse Experience
Final Assignment Overview

Before the end of this semester you will visit ANY court. It can be District Court or Superior Court. Write about your experience from the time you walk in the Courthouse until you leave. If you cannot visit a court, you may watch a court proceeding on TruTv or another online court website.

You will need to view a trial. Again, it can be any criminal case. You will describe the court case, what laws were violated, the outcome if it is concluded. You should be able to write the name of the defendant, witnesses, the Judge, and what police department is prosecuting.

This may require researching about the case for any details that you need.

After writing about the case you viewed, write your thoughts on the case. For example, if it is an assault case, did you believe the defendant was guilty? Did you agree with the punishment?

This exercise shouldn’t be left until last minute. There is a lot of information you need to include.

Guidelines

The paper should be at least 5-7 pages, double spaced, 1 inch margins
Poor grammar and spelling will reduce your score
There will be a title page. The title page will include the following: Your name, the date, “Final Paper”, and the class name.
Hints:

You may want to call the court before you visit. Ask them when a good day to come would be and when they are the busiest.

Dress appropriately for court. No cell phones in the court house. Bring a School ID just in case.