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Year 11 Legal Studies Excursion

  • 16 Nov 2015
On the 26th of October, the year eleven legal class went to a mock court to learn about how courts are run and the roles that people play during an investigation. Once we made our way to city, we were taken into a mock court, where we were given roles to play during our classes’ mock case called “Respect Me”. This case involved a 14 year old girl, who was maliciously persuaded into sharing explicit photos of herself to her ‘supposed’ boyfriend, who was two years her senior. He then shared these photos both to his friends and on social media, which caused catastrophic consequences for both of them. She had to change schools, and the boy had to face trial for his numerous crimes regarding child pornography.

Each person in the class was allocated a specific role, that was deemed essential to this court case. This included the judge, the clerk, the prosecutor and the accused, and interested members of the public. The trial was carried out just as any other would, with all evidence being presented, and both sides being able to present their case. There were also audio visual presentations that clearly outlined what had happened before the case was taken to court. Our class decided that the boy should receive a community correction order, which would extend over a period of approximately 18 months. However, this does mean that the boy did not receive any conviction, and was not placed on the sexual offenders registry list. We decided that the boy should not receive too harsh a punishment, because he regretted his actions, and was helpful towards police during the gathering of evidence - therefore, we believed his sentence should be mitigated (made less severe).  

We as a class greatly benefited from this excursion, as it consolidated our understanding of court procedures and criminal law. 

We would also like to thank Mr Evans and Mr Fernandez for taking us on this excursion, and organising such a fun day for us. This is an excursion that will be remembered for many years to come!

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