Sophie’s Blog! (Obviously)

Right now our unit in Social Studies is Justice. We have been learning all about Canadian court and we have even been to court ourselves with the accused….. The third little pig, and the big bad wolf, but that’s another story.

What Is It Like to Enter a Canadian Courtroom?

Leading up to the building is generally very nicely landscaped and very community friendly and most of the time has a Canadian flag. I believe represents respect for our country. The building itself is very formal. It seems to say “This is not a joking matter.” When you enter the building you have to go through security. There is usually a sign that says “remove all metal objects before entering metal detector”. There is also a lot of no smoking signs. When you get into the courtroom you take your seats in the designated area. If the accused is in custody at the time they sit in the prisoner box. The court clerk is the official assistant to the judge and enter and exits close behind her/him and also sits in front of him.

5 People Present in a Canadian Court Room

Judge: If there is no jury, the judge makes the final decision after listening carefully to the stories from witnesses, victims…etc. If the accused is guilty, he/she decides the punishment. One quality I think a judge should have it would be not a pushover. If the accused starts telling a sob story about his family the judge should not give in or be “moved” in any way.

Press: The press is welcome in the courtroom to report trials. They are not allowed to take any pictures and the judge is allowed to tell press not to record some info. Automatic ban if one reports the names of people under 18. One quality I think someone involved in the media should have would be listening carefully, because if they miss an order from the judge or Crown Prosecutor, they’re job may be prosecuted.

Court Reporter: The court reporter records everything that is said in the courtroom. In order to do so well, They sit next to the witness stand to hear everything. They record using a special machine or by typing it. One quality a court reporter should have would be quick fingers for typing.

Investigating Officer: The investigating officer is the police officer that… well… Investigated the scene. They know all about the case so they make sure that the Crown Prosecutor has the correct info. One quality I think an Investigating Officer should have would be communication. They would have to be able to communicate clearly to the Crown Prosecutor.

Court Clerk: This person is the assistant to the judge. The court clerk prepares the schedule, reads charges against the accused, calls court to order, and makes sure witnesses swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. One quality a court clerk should have would definitely be organization.

What Makes The Process Fair?

I absolutely, totally, 100% believe in justice because no one should be hurt or punished with out being proven guilty. It’s not fair. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, if proven guilty at all. One major thing that makes a trial fair would be that every one’s story is heard. But one thing I am totally against is that the accused does not speak. They are innocent at the trial because they are not yet guilty there for their side should be heard and considered. If you think so, please, let me know!

Post adjourned!

Wednesday was a very important date for division 16 because…

We spoke to astronaut Clayton Anderson!

We were last to ask our questions and I introduced our class to Diane, Susan (organizers), Dr.Anderson, and all of the other participating classes.  Our questions were about the kind of recycled water that they have in space and about their free time and what they liked to do.

He told us that the water they drink is purified from their urin, sweat, and condensation.  It is said that a glass of purified water from space is cleaner than a water from earth!  For our next question, he said that every morning they played name that song via satellite with mission control on earth.

What surprised me was that he was very laid back and funny!  He joked around when ever he got the chance.  He spat a raspberry at us!

I thought the most interesting fact was that when they go on a space walk they have a cuff check list that ties on their wrist so they don’t forget anything.

To work well in space, I think you would need a good attitude and be able to be serious when needed but still be able to have fun while working!

Over all it went very well and even after that, frankly, I would not go into space.  I almost threw up on a bus!  Me + Rocket = BAD!  Very bad!

Earth photo taken by woodleywonderworks