Court Public Gallery - how to do it with my teen

[Just2MoreSeasons]

My Dd is soon to be 14 and I’ve read this is the minimum age to be a member if the public gallery in a court.

I thought it might be interesting to do it as a day out (complete with café etc) as part of a broadening of her education. She has a pretty lose grasp of ‘government’ ‘lawyer’ ‘tax’ ‘mortgage’ etc and I’d like to add in some experiences that would help her better understand (rather than just listening to me blathering on!)

So, how do we do it? We could go to Oxford, Gloucester or London. We’d need to do it on an inset day or during school holidays.

I don’t know if you get to know what the case is in advance - would like to avoid anything with sexual crimes or anything that looks like it would be very fine detail technical law as she’s likely find that too boring.

Do we need to stay for the whole session, or can you quietly leave after an hour? Anyone know of a good book that explains the judicial system that’s good for a teen but not written as if you’re going to be a witness?

Or has anyone got other ideas for adding some insight into government, law, banking etc?

thanks so much

Bump

If you go to a public gallery in a criminal court there is always a risk that the case could be of a distressing nature. It completely depends what is in the court list for the day. You might see part of a trial, a sentencing hearing or simply a load of cases in for plea/trial preparation. There will be a few court rooms that you can go in and out of. You will be required to enter/leave quietly. If court is in session, you might be asked to wait for a break to go in and out. It might be worth speaking to the front desk/an usher upon arrival. I've never been to court to sit in the public gallery but have years of experience working in criminal defence and sitting behind counsel in the courtroom. The alternatives are the magistrates court, county court, high court or court of appeal. Not sure whether you can sit in the gallery in a family court. I have no experience of that.

Is it not a bit thoughtless for the people and their families in the court that what might be amongst their hardest moments in life becomes a spectacle as part of someone's interesting day out.

Really? It's all a bit like knitting under the guillotine isn't it?

How about trying to sit in public gallery at Houses of Parliament instead?

If the hearing is in an open court you can sit in the gallery. The principle of open justice is that the public are able to see how the system works.

Most people I know who've done it, including myself, do it for work or study reasons. Doesn't tend to be a "day out" type thing.

14 might be too young, if I'm being honest, especially if she's not expressed an interest in law.

I did this a few times when doing my A Levels. It really is luck of the draw as to what you will see, and I imagine it could be very boring if disinterested. Also you need to ensure she realises that you could be sitting next to families of the defendant (or victim) so be respectful.

Usborne do an excellent series of books called “… for beginners” - we have many in the set, and they are very well done. They are advised as 10+ but they are not at all childish and in fact explain things in a very straightforward digestible way
https://usborne.com/gb/books/series/for-beginners

We went to watch a Crown Court case for a GCSE history trip. It turned out to be a murder case, but it wasn't overwhelming because the pace is so slow and we didn't hear any of the gruesome details (luck more than judgement). I'm not sure I'd encourage anyone to go along for the fun of it, I imagine what you hear will either be incredibly dull or quite horrifying.

Houses of Parliament public gallery is a great idea- I'll look into that.

We would not be going for entertainment- my thoughts are that many learning experiences are better when they are experienced in context. I mentioned 'cafe etc' as I thought I'd be jumped on for giving dd a boring day out. But I don't see it that way. She'll be taking her options in a few months, so far she is doing well in all subjects but doesn't have a direction. I don't mind whether the concept of a career in law is appealing or not. But it's important to know it exists. That it's real and the consequences of breaking laws is real.

I don't feel that we would be knitting at the gallows, we have open justice in this country for good reasons, I know that many judges would like more people in the public gallery and more reporters in court. We would remain quiet in court and be sensitive to the situation. I'm happy with my decision to visit a court (not sure which one works best) but wondering how best to make it happen.

I've order those Osborne books - they look fab, thanks for that.

Thanks for all the comments so far.

Oh and I think 'day out' has been misleading some. We are rural. Going to pay some money in a bank is a day out for us.
It would be a very minimum of 2 hours driving to visit a court.

It's absolutely fine to go and watch. The courts being public is an important part of ensuring justice is transparent.

The disastrous misogyny in the family courts at the moment is allowed to fester away precisely because the courts are closed.

When you get there, speak to an usher and they will probably be able to point you in the direction of a sensible court.

I've just attended a pre-inquest hearing for a loved one. There were members of the public present. I found that very upsetting; as if they were intruding on a family's grief. I think you should be quite sensitive as to the nature of the case you attend.

I wish everyone had a basic education about the law and how it works. And understood the court system a bit more -its strengths and it's flaws.

The secret Barrister would be a good book to read - I keep recommending it but only because I think it is a very readable summary of present day courts

As a victim of crime, I specified that I didn't want my case to be open to the public. I had to bring it up myself because I didn't want my family or media to access the horrific details. Victims might not be aware they can request this and may have very negative feelings about members of the public choosing to watch. Reliving the incidents and feelings of being violated as you speak about it in front of everyone is incredibly traumatizing. The thought of a teenager watching is just awful.

The principle of open justice is absolutely vital in a democracy. I would encourage you to go. 14 is young so I would certainly talk to the usher when you get there and take their advice about what to watch and not to watch. The public are welcome in any open court. Those are almost all civil courts and almost all criminal courts. Family courts are generally not open. The ushers will know exactly ehich courts are open, what the cases are about and what stage any trials are at. I would also bring proof of her age so she doesn’t get turned away.
you can go into any open court, just open the door and sit in the public seats at the back quietly. Don’t sit in the press seats by mistake. You can leave at any time when you have had enough, or if that case is boring. Just stand and leave quietly. No phones - photographs and filming in the court premises is a criminal offence. Make sure your DD knows that.
I’m afraid all courts are full of trials relating to sexual offences / images so try to go see a good honest Friday night crime of violence or drugs case if you have the chance. Sentences can be interesting as you get a summary of the offence and conviction, then mitigation by the defence counsel, and then the judge sentences with reasons. It shows the process of weighing up the correct sentence. Civil trials are often interesting - a bit of clinical negligence or a boundary dispute can be worth hearing - but sometimes it is very law heavy so can be dry. Again, take the ushers advice.
no need to go into London. Oxford is a busy combined court, with a good cafe that serves excellent coffee and millionaires shortbread. I’m sure Gloucester has things worth seeing too.

I had a relative who was a journalist who used to take me in the public gallery quite often. It is no where near as interesting as you may think. I went many times and the majority of times things just got adjourned while waiting for various reports etc. It is very much not like it is on TV.

My relative who is a judge says he is always pleased to see the public watching. The principle of open justice is so important. And it is also how the next generation develop an interest in and understanding of the law.

I have heard terrifyingly awful things said in closed courts. Far better that as many courts as possible are open. It reduces the risk of rogue judges and rough justice

I think it's inappropriate to take your teen to be a spectator. Whilst I understand why there is a public gallery, it's just too disrespectful to the victims to do it for 'interest' only IMO.

I think a council chamber or the Houses of Parliament are much better and less like you're a ghoul.

I understand how traumatic it is, but courtrooms are full of participants anyway. You could have had an 18 year old on the jury or as a supporter of the defendants. I agree a sexual violence case is no place for a 14 year old. It is very rare for criminal cases to be closed. It is important that justice is not only done, but seen to be done. That is why the press can attend and report of cases even when the identity of the victim is protected, they just have to report anonymously.

@HTmmm am so sorry this happened to you, I think the current love for reality TV makes people forget that their entertainment is someone's life.

This is true, but that's part of the learning surely. That parts of the process are very bureaucratic and slow. I spent lots of time shadowing my relative who is a judge and did quite a lot of crosswords with the court staff while we waited for cases to re start ... (This was nearly three decades ago, I suspect they may be rather more stretched these days)

I am afraid you are totally wrong. That is why there are so many school and student visits to court. young People need to understand the institutions that are in place to protect our democracy. By visiting courts they understand that actions have consequences, and it inspires many of them - to careers in the law, police, social work, justice system - or just to stay out of prison.

I'm not wrong, how badly mannered!

I have a different opinion. This is allowed in a liberal democracy.

My children understand very well, because we've read books, watched relevant programmes and visited buildings.

I consider it disrespectful to victims to go for a day trip.

Thanks so much for all your messages.

Such divided opinions, that in itself would be good to discuss with DD. Perhaps she'll show no interest and the Usborne book will be enough for her, but I'm open to talking to the ushers and finding a suitable case to listen in on.

I'm on the app so can't seem to link names of posters when replying, but I'm really grateful to those who have insider knowledge and have helped direct me.

Quite wrong.