Domestic Violence Court Room Observation

This week in court was very interesting because were in two different court rooms on Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday we were in the Homicide Court Room which is usually very intense and on Thursday we were in the Domestic Violence Room which is usually very comical. I like to refer to weeks like this as having the best of both worlds. I know it seems weird but the domestic violence room and homicide rooms are my favorite to work in and to observe. These court rooms are usually very active, engaging and exciting at times.
Though I have worked in the Homicide and Domestic Violence courtrooms on numerous occasions, this week something happened in both courtrooms that I have never witnessed before. For instance, on Tuesday there was a case that involved

the homicide of a twenty-one year old Caucasian male in North Philadelphia. He was outside the corner store when two men (the defendants in the case) allegedly attempted to rob him and his friends. When the victim refused to give what he had to the defendants, they shot and killed him. One of the victim’s friends was on the stand testifying about what happened, then when it came time for cross, the defense counsel suggested that the witness was given a deal to testify in court to in order to receive a lenient sentence on a rape case that he was currently fighting. I thought it was interesting and shocking that the defense counsel tried to discredit the witness based on his personal criminal cases. Though I am sure that this sort of thing happens often in criminal court, it was the first time that I observed it firsthand.
In addition to observing a witness being discredited, I also witnessed the defendant in a domestic violence case being put on the stand to testify during their preliminary trial.

I’m sure that there are many reasons why the defendant does not take the stand and testify like not wanting to reveal all of their evidence that they may need for trial, or the defendant risks incriminating themselves by saying the wrong thing on the stand. However, in this case an African American male, age sixty-five was accused of punching his girlfriend at the time, in the stomach cases her ribs to break. However, he alleged that she was drunk and tried to fight him, which led to him pushing her really hard into a recliner chair that was in his bedroom. To be honest both of them sounded really compelling as to what happened the night in question. The victim in the case, was a very petite woman who looked fragile to touch. She looked as if she could have been in her sixties as well. The entire case was sad and he seemed remorseful for what he did to her. However, in domestic violence cases period, it is hard for me to decide which side is lying or telling the truth. If it wasn’t for Judge Deleon’s probing questions, I may really be

lost.
All in all, I really enjoy both the Domestic Violence and Homicide courtrooms. What was also interesting was that I had to escort the defendant in the domestic violence case down to probation. I always find it amusing when the defendants try to explain to me that they are innocent. Still, I commonly say that I am just an intern. However, I am still polite and cheerful because I have learned that some people are innocent and that they may just need someone to vent to right after experiencing a life changing event. Nevertheless, I really enjoy interning at the Criminal Justice Center. I am able to take the good with the bad and continue to operate in good faith.