Reflection Essay On Calendar Calls

Calendar Calls can be very lengthy depending on how many people are on the Calendar. It was also interesting to see how the different judges handled the nonjury criminal proceedings. Some judges take the defendant’s guilty pleas unanimously by having them stand up and answer the questions together out loud. In that series of questions, they are asked to state their age and highest level of education completed. I found it ironic that many individuals have either dropped out of school or have earned a GED, which shows the correlation between education level and the probability of committing a crime. The Trial is the next court hearing that occurs. It occurs the week after Calendar Calls. The length of the case depends on the severity of the

Each proceeding is different because there are several purposes. Some of the most common hearings are Preliminary, Juvenile court and Treatment Court. Most hearings held in the Lowndes County Jail are preliminary. During this criminal proceeding, the state presents the facts of the case to assure the judge that there is sufficient evidence to bind the case over to trial by a jury based on probable cause. The prosecutor mainly uses the arresting officer or detective on the scene to testify about what occurred in that incident. Occasionally, the defense calls witnesses to the stand as well. From my observation of preliminary hearings, it appears that most of the cases are bound over. The cases range from armed robbery to the sale of illegal narcotics. Recently, there was a preliminary hearing that involved two Valdosta High School students. The girls were charged with armed robbery after setting up the crime with some colleagues. Although, they did not directly have possession of the firearm or steal anything from the victim, they were considered to be a party to the crime. The defendants had knowledge of the crime and also participated by informing the robbers of their location through text messages. I found this case to be interesting because the two teenage girls had no prior history with the courts, yet they remained in custody for over a

When dealing with delinquents there is a lot of informality, since they are at an impressionable period in their lives. The court aims to rehabilitate juveniles, opposed to punishing as in Superior court. It is understood that children make mistakes; however, to some extend they must still be held accountable for their actions to teach them responsibility. Within Juvenile court there are several resources DDJ offers to the defendant, such as functional family therapy, night to school to get students back on track, counseling and various other