VASJ Street Law class visits Cleveland Municipal Court

The VASJ Street Law class, along with a few interested students, took a field trip to the Cleveland Municipal Court of Judge Lauren C. Moore. The field trip was intended to show students how the court system works, as well as how the justice center is set up. 

Before even entering the building, it was interesting to see that bail bonds offices and law offices were right across the street. When the students first arrived, they were given a tour of the justice center by Michael Graves ‘93.

After the tour, the students went and observed drug court hearings where they experienced acknowledgment of substance abusers who are successfully going through a rehabilitation program, as well as cases dealing with those who were not compliant.

This gave the students a chance to see how the results of cases can vary - community service, fines, and even jail time. Throughout the day, the students were able to see how each part of the court works together in dealing with each case that comes in.

One interesting thing about the drug court was their innovations with technology, which includes a drug test that will give back results within 5-10 minutes.

The day was very informative and it was interesting to connect what is taught in class with real life.