Law is something that ensures that the wronged are punished. Well thats what I thought it was all just about. After months of studying and digging deeper into this topic, we have gathered a lot of information from many different people; we have approached this topic by judging the death sentence from many different alternatives. Law and Criminality is such a vast topic, we could not cover everything in such a short time. I am sure that we would have covered many other things and gone deeper into this topic if we had just another month to continue this topic. However we did do so much, the teachers deserve a round of applause as they have tried so hard and sacrificed so much of hard work and time to make this topic an interesting topic. We visited the Palace of Justice, we had a lawyer come to our class to give a speech, we had members of the Amnesty International to give their speech, we had a mock trial on the death penalty; what more can we have? The experience we have obtained are precious and the opportunities we had are priceless.
What have I learned: Well before we started this topic I only knew how to judge something from my point of view; after this topic I have learned how to approach and judge something by looking at all alternatives and angles. This not only thought me how to approach something more maturely, but also showed me that not everyone feels the same way as you do. For example the view point on the death penalty might not be the same for a family members of the accused and the family members of the victim. The visit to the Palace of Justice thought me how the Malaysian Judiciary system works and the different types of courts and punishment it serves. The speech Mr. Ramesh made in class was terrific. I learned that roles lawyers play in court, the dressing code for lawyers, the rules and regulations a lawyer must abide, and how lawyers work independently on their judgements. Amnesty International gave an interesting speech which clashes entirely with my opinions on the death penalty, but it taught my how to look at something from both sides, all angles.
What skills did I use or develop in my learning: I have used the skill of judgement. Through out the mock trial we had to do tons of research and most of them are biased; we had to use our judgement to judge whether the information is biased or reliable. Through out the few months of learning this topic, I have developed my skill of evaluation. During the mock trial, we had to evaluate the the information and statistics we collected to the judge and jury. We not only had to evaluate but to convince the jury with our data. Overall, I think the mock trial has thought me a lot, the experience had sharpened and enhanced my skills.
What I found difficult: I find it difficult to come up with a conclusion with the information I have collected through out my research. The problem is that some websites feed us with pointless information which are nonsense. It is hard to determine which information is reliable and which are lies. For example I could not find the actual cost of executing someone and the actual price of sentencing someone to life. I also found it hard to find a way to persuade the jury and contradict the opposition's arguments on the mock trial. As strong as our points, the opponents also posses good arguments and slaughtered our team in the end.
Failure Leads to Bothering Thoughts
It bother's my mind how badly I've failed. I was confused the whole way through the whole mock trial, all I was taught to do was to perform my part which is to cross examine the kindergarten teacher. So you can imagine the confusion and psychological breakdown I faced during the trial. I partly blame myself as well, being a person not usually exposed to such things.
Three things my team did well in the lead up to trial: I am not afraid to say that our preparation for the trial was fantastic; we had regular lunch time meeting, we sacrificed our after-school time practicing, every time we communicate with each other online we prepared for our case. Our Chief Prosecutors, who kept us organized, were fantastic. Everyone in the team was determined to try their best for the team and no one questioned our commitment.
Three things my team did well on the day of the trial: We were well organized; we knew our part. Although most of us have not have any experience of a court hearing, we all tried our best. We were all listening and helping each other out, we passed notes to communicate. Although we faced a little technical difficulties, everyone in the team offered a hand. Overall I think we did really well on the day, eve though we lost. Most of the jury were already against the death penalty anyway, but we were judged by our performance. Honestly our performance were not as good as the other team, but I think we could have done better. In the end, the better team won.
What I did well before and during the trial: I am a cross examiner and my job is to research and interrogate the opponent's witness. I am not afraid to say that I have done my part well; I researched and learned from my father, who is very experienced in these things involving civil courts. During the trial I listened through out the whole court. Me and the other cross examiners in my team help each other out and passed notes around to help our chief prosecutors.Truthfully and honestly, I was really nervous when it was my turn to cross examine the opponent's witness, as I had no idea that the orphan was retarded, or is suffering brain cancer, or leukemia, or....
A target for a team: Preparation is the key for a great performance. We should have prepared more, more scripts and more commitment. Communication and understanding between team members are also important; without them we would not understand what is going on and what our roles are. Finally we need trust as a team. I'm not saying that we should trust everyone, but we should gain everyone's trust by showing them we are committed to our job and by trying our best in helping the team.
...Personal target...: Personal target?.. Haha, what personal target? I'm joking. I should have prepared more. Thats the only weakness I have. I delay and perform last minute work, I am easily distracted, I am a lazy person -.- and I trust the opponent too much. I fed information to the opponents and by that I destroyed the trust I had with the chief prosecutors. I will try to finish work as soon as possible next time (that does not mean I will simply finish my work).
In my opinion, this is a very exhausting topic. I am totally drained out after the mock trial. The only thing that I dream of every night is about the mock trial and Mr. Ramesh shouting at witnesses. However this is only my opinion, it might not be the same as yours...
-Maxwell the Great- :}
