Philadelphia Students Experience Grand Jury Process In Unusual Civics Lesson
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- An award-winning civics education program for Philadelphia public school students added a new twist Friday for the final lesson of the school year.
It gave students a chance to imagine what it would be like to play a part in some very real current events.
The Advancing Civics Education (ACE) program is in its eighth year of bringing judges and lawyers into classrooms to teach citizenship, but for this lesson the students reported to the ceremonial courtroom at the federal court house on Market Street, to be on a mock grand jury investigating the police shooting of a teenage boy.
Ace co-chairs Nycole Watson and Judge Genece Brinkley developed the special lesson (with help from law clerk Michelle Yee and judicial fellow William Oleckna) in response to the public outcry at grand jury decisions in cases of police use of force.
"The way we've designed this with real live players, real live d.a.'s, real live judges, real live police officers that they will truly understand when they leave here what the process needs." said Brinkley.
After hearing from ten witnesses, including uniformed officers, the students found probable cause to indict but student Isaiah Patrick said he'd learned the larger lesson.
"I can understand why they do things the way they do and operate the way they operate," said Patrick, "So this exercise was very helpful to me and I've learned a lot so I'm grateful for this opportunity."