Students get a taste of courtroom drama

CLASSROOMS could become courts of justice with students acting as judges, juries, defendants and victims, as a result of a learning aid from the Courts Service.

Chief Justice Mr Justice John Murray warned mention of the law often conjures images solely of criminal trials or as a tool wielded by the State for the punishment of offenders.

But launching the Let’s Look at the Law resource pack and DVD for second level schools, he said it is welcome that students will be given a grounding of the legal system. The learning tool is to be used by schools as part of the civic, social and political education subject taken for the Junior Cert.

Mr Justice Murray said the legal system is often viewed as a thing apart from citizens’ daily life but this is not the case.

“The law is not something that simply happens in a courtroom, it provides for and regulates so many things; from the water we drink, the transport we use, to more substantial matters such as the protection of the environment and consumer’s rights,” he said.

“Indeed, the schools pupils attend and the teachers who work there are also regulated and protected by law,” he said.

“In an age where instant communication and virtual social networks have become the norm for young people, anything which encourages them to pause and consider the social and legal environment they live in is to be welcomed,” he said.

As well as allowing students set up their own mock trials, aided by a fictional case acted out by students in a real courtroom on the interactive DVD, various areas of the law are also explained in the schools’ pack.

It contains twelve lessons with descriptive diagrams, questionnaires and role-playing exercises. Some of the topics include the difference between civil and criminal law, the structure of the courts from district courts up to the Supreme Court, how a trial is run and what can and can not be asked of witnesses.

Chief Justice Murray presented a copy of the pack to Education Minister Mary Hanafin at its launch last night and said knowledge of the legal system will help students develop their identity as citizens and gain greater understanding of the democracy in which we live.

“It will also prove to be a considerable asset when students progress, be that through further education or into the workforce. Indeed, it might be the spark that encourages students to pursue a career in the legal profession,” he said.