by Donna McBride
Courtrooms, attorneys, witnesses, tears, cross examinations and a verdict – sounds like a scene out of a Law and Order episode, doesn’t it?
For Pinal County Juvenile Court, it is actually part of their Community Advisory Board’s (CAB) educational goal. For the past 13 years, the CAB has sponsored a Mock Trial Competition for middle school and high school students. Over the years the competition has grown from five teams to as many as 20. Nearly 250 students take part by learning about a specific case and selecting their parts (attorneys, witnesses, victims, etc.).
Pinal County is the only county in the state that offers a local competition. It has become so popular over the years that Casa Grande Elementary School District includes a mock trial class as part of its curriculum. In fact, the CAB recently took home the “Award of Excellence” from the Arizona Court Association for the annual competition.
After nearly five months of practice, students walk into a real courtroom at Pinal County Superior Courthouse in Florence to showcase their prosecution and defense skills before real superior court judges. The day-long competition ends with the judges selecting the best teams and giving individual awards for best witness, opening statement, closing statements, cross examination, direction examination, and witness.
In March, the competition awarded Miami High School teams with both first and second place in the high school division. Middle School Division No. 1 ended with Cactus Middle School receiving first place and Casa Grande Middle School coming in second. In the Division 2 category, Picacho teams tied for first place against each other and Villago Middle School took second place.
Could students have learned the same thing in a textbook? Maybe. But diving into their roles and learning from real attorneys and judges about court procedures will likely stick with them too. Some have even decided to further their education in the field of law and justice because of their experience with Mock Trial. And years from now when they are rummaging through their old school memorabilia and find their Mock Trial medals, they will fondly remember the lessons learned from real professionals.
The CAB represents a group of volunteers who are appointed by the Presiding Juvenile Judge. The board dedicates hundreds of hours a year to promote positive activities for youth and families in Pinal County while also being the eyes and ears of Juvenile Court Service.
