What I Learned After Visiting a Court Session
By: Marissa Merkt
“All rise,” a voice booms as the judge trudges in. Off to the right are criminals in orange jumpsuits sitting still as statues. Just seconds earlier they were laughing and sharing stories with one another, but now all is silent.
This past week, I had the opportunity to visit a court session with my Public Affairs class. Prior to this “field trip”, I had visited court once when my cousin was adopted. But that was an exciting event, this was clearly a depressing one.
While the actions of these criminals were wrong, it’s hard not to feel sorry for them. Many of these orange-pajama delinquents were around my age and it was sad to see them wasting their lives away in a prison instead of prospering as individuals. After visiting the court session, I learned a few things:
1. Don’t lie. Lying gets you nowhere. Sure, it may cover up for something or make you look good. But the effects are temporary. Eventually, like these criminals, you will have to reveal the truth.
2. Don’t take advantage of others. This was a common occurrence of many of these criminals. Often, they were struggling to make ends meet. When someone offered them help, they would take advantage of their generosity by over-asking. The judge mentioned that this kind of behavior can discourage others from reaching out, since they will not know if the person is actually in need of help. While it is ok to ask for help, make sure you don’t overindulge.
3. You are responsible for your actions. This applies even when you are drunk. Next time you take a sip of alcohol, remember that you will have to pay for your actions. In addition, you can’t keep making excuses for why you did something bad.
4. People should be given a second chance. If a criminal abides by the law, they can sometimes be released early from prison for “good behavior”. Then, they are allowed to re-enter society and start a new life. However, sometimes people abuse their second chances and appear before the judge multiple times. Give people the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise.
5. Appreciate your freedoms. Walking out of the courthouse and feeling the cold, spring breeze made me appreciate the freedoms I have. Ultimately, we are lucky to call ourselves Americans. But if you abuse these freedoms, you may end up behind bars like the criminals I saw at the courthouse.