WASHINGTON 鈥� About 170 kids showed up at D.C. Superior Court on Saturday to get an up close look at the legal system as part of聽the annual DC Youth Law Fair.
Hosted by the District of Columbia Bar and D.C. courts, the fair is聽a chance for kids to see a courtroom and holding cells and meet with judges on friendlier terms.
鈥淲e want to introduce the young people to the criminal justice system and the legal system in a positive sense,鈥� said Judge Jose Lopez, one of the organizers of this event.
He and other judges sat in courtrooms packed with kids and their parents to answer questions about the processes and procedures during a trial. They also talked about the choices a person would need to make in order to pursue a career in the field.
Lopez said people who are interested in going to law school might聽want to 聽take lots of English classes as undergraduates to聽develop skills needed to communicate their point. In addition to the questions and answers, representatives from聽other groups, including the FBI and Metro Transit Police, were there to talk about what they do and how they got to where they are.
鈥淸We] show them that it is available to them,鈥� said Lopez. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that is reachable. We tell them our own story and how we got there. Because many times they just close it out, they have no idea that they could do that. And so we open doors.鈥�
The exercise meant to help trigger that interest was the mock trial.
鈥淚 think the big highlight is when we put them in the mock trial, and we get them to play the role of judge, play the role of prosecutor,鈥� Lopez said.
With students serving as the judge, jury and attorneys, they worked on a mock case that involved a 15-year-old girl named Anita who sent intimate photos of herself to her 18-year-old boyfriend, Darryl, who she went to high school with. But Darryl鈥檚 18-year-old friend JoJo got the pictures first and posted them on social media under Darryl鈥檚 name. His defense is that it was supposed to be a joke. Both boys were charged with distributing child pornography.
鈥淚t can go one way or the other,鈥� he said, when asked about the potential outcome of the mock trial. 鈥淭hey can see that it鈥檚 not just black and white, but at the same time they can see there鈥檚 consequences.鈥�
