Haley’s Blog

What is it like in a Canadian Courtroom?

Important people in the courtroom:

• The Judge: The Judge listens to everything that is said in the trial. If there is no Jury, the Judge makes the final decision by believing the Crown Prosecutor who tries to prove that the accused is guilty. If the Judge decides that the accused is guilty, he/she will sentence the accused to a punishment of their choice. The Judge is also in charge of everything and everyone in the courtroom. He/she makes sure that all the court’s rules are followed, and everyone is doing their job.
• Court Clerk: The court clerk prepares the court’s schedule and helps out the Judge. They call the court to order and why the accused is accused. He/she will ask all the witnesses to swear that they will tell the truth and this is done by giving an oath or promising. If a witness is Christian, they have the choice to place their hand on a Bible or another Religious books.
• Crown Prosecutor: The Crown Prosecutor is like a lawyer for a province/territory. The Crown Prosecutor is not the lawyer for the victim, though he/she may be working on the same side as them. He/she will ask the victim and witnesses questions to prove to the Judge that the accused is guilty. Asking questions is called giving evidence.
• The Accused: The accused has been charged for committing a crime. He/she has the right to not have to testify and has the right to hear what the witnesses say about the case during the trial.

What do you see in a courtroom?

• Public Benches: These benches are for the public because every court is open to the public. However, in some cases, the Judge will make an announcement saying that the trial will be closed so no other people can be in and watch the trial .
• Prisoner’s Box: If the accused is in jail at the time of the trial, he/she will sit in the Prisoners box. If he/she is not in custody, they have the choice to sit in the box or near the defence lawyer.
• Canadian Flag: The Canadian flag is the representative of our government, law, courts and community.
• Canadian Coat of Arms: Much like the flag of Canada, in many courtrooms there is a Canadian Coat of Arms. This too represents the law and courts and communities of Canada.
• Witness Stand: The witnesses are called to the stand by the Crown Prosecutor to give evidence. If you are a victim of a crime, you are a witness and will be called to the stand. In some cases, the witnesses will be asked to stand outside of the courtrom, and when your name is called by the court clerk, you can come inside to the witness stand.
• Closed Circut TV: If you are under 18 and the Judge allows it, you may be able to be in a different room and the people in the courtroom at the time of the trial will see you on a TV screen so you do not have to be inside the courtroom.

What jobs in the courtroom would I like (or not like) to have? Why (or why not)?

• Defence Lawyer: The lawyer for the accused. I would liek to be the defence ;lawyer because you do not have to tell the Crown Prosecutor anything about your client’s case, but you can question the witnesses after the Crown Prosecutor has done asking theirs. I would also like to be teh defence lawyer because once I was meeting my Granny’s friend and she said I would be a good lawyer so that is another reason. It would also be fun!
• The Judge: No way! Too much pressure if there is no jury. I would have to make the desicion-if the accused is guilty-all by myself! If there was a jury, how would I be able to tell what kind of punishment to place on someone? Way too much pressure for me!
• Court Reporter: The court reporter writes or types dawn whatever is said in the courtroom. He/she must keep up and make sure that everything that was said is recorded. I would not liek this job because there would be too much pressure to finish recording everything or even keeping up adn getting it all down.

What jobs in the courtroom would YOU like (or not like) to have? Why (or why not)?

What makes the process fair?

I think that the process in the trial is fair because first of all, the accused is allowed to hear what all the witnesses say, and the Judge makes a fair decision based on logical evidence. The press is not allowed to reveal names of anyone who is part of the trial that is under the age of 18. I think that fairness is important and trials in a Canadian court are fair. 

Photo credit: Canadian flag by Arnoud Boekhoorn