Lessons in law and order

A group of 26 students from Lynbrook High School’s Forensics and Legal Issues classes experienced the local judicial system up close and personal when they paid a visit to the Nassau County District Court. While they were there, they had the opportunity to meet a court officer and a judge who conducted a Q&A session dealing with the court system and jurisprudence, which generated an honest conversation about the realities of the same legal systems that they had been studying in class.

During their tour, the students also observed a live courtroom arraignment process, and spoke to a judge who was in between trials. The tour ended with a secure walk through a holding pen area, where armed officers guarded approximately a dozen detainees.

At the conclusion of the tour, students said they were impressed with the dose of harsh reality that the visit provided, and were surprised to find that so much legal activity is occurring 24-7 at the courts. “One student described the experience as intense,” said their Legal Issues teacher David Rabinowitz. “Another commented that the prisoners were more frail than they appeared. Overall, they agreed that this brief visit gave them a true glimpse into the system.”

Fifteen of the students on the trip are actually considering careers in law or law enforcement. Most found that the experience reinforced their decision to move forward, or at least gave them a clearer picture of what type of specialty they would like to pursue within the field.