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PUBLIC
INVITED TO ATTEND NORFOLK COUNTY
CRIMINAL JUSTICE CITIZENS ACADEMY IN DEDHAM;
Applications for Fall Session Available for Norfolk County
Residents
Boston, MA--The Norfolk
County Criminal Justice Citizens Academy is offering a free
judicial educational course for adults living in Norfolk County.
The program, which is held in Dedham, will begin on September
26 and end on November 14, 2001.
Sponsored
by the Norfolk County Juvenile Court and the Norfolk County
Probate and Family Court, the innovative eight-week program
teaches the public about the criminal justice system and the
operations of the Massachusetts courts.
In addition to the Trial Court judges, clerks, and
probation officers who teach the course, the instructors include
representatives of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s
Office, the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Department, the Norfolk
County Bar Association, the Wellesley Police Department, and
the court system’s Office of the Jury Commissioner.
“The
Norfolk Citizens Academy gives people an opportunity to learn
about the Massachusetts judicial system, and it gives us insights
about how the community perceives the court system,” said
Norfolk Juvenile Court First Justice Mary M. McCallum.
The
Norfolk County Criminal Justice Citizens Academy is offered
free of charge to thirty-five adult residents of the county
on a space available basis.
Classes meet once a week on consecutive Wednesdays
for two hours. The
first session will be held at the Dedham District Court, 631
High Street, Dedham, on Wednesday, September 26, 2001 from
7:00 to 9:15 p.m.
During the eight-week program, participants will
learn about the jurisdiction of the District, Juvenile, Probate
and Family, and Superior courts, the jury system, and the
roles of court personnel, police, and prosecutors.
The topics that will be discussed range from domestic
violence issues to juvenile cases involving Children in Need
of Services (CHINS). In
addition to visits to various courts, there will be a mock
trial, and field trips to the Wellesley police station and
the Norfolk County Jail.
James
F. Poirier, Clerk-Magistrate of the Norfolk Juvenile Court,
said, “The goal of the Citizens Academy is to have the public
attain a better understanding and appreciation of not only
daily court operations, but also of the important services
the courts provide to the community.”
Approximately
200 people have completed the Criminal Justice Citizens Academy
since it began in 1997. Interested Norfolk County residents may obtain applications or more
information by contacting the following:
Clerk-Magistrate
James Poirier
Norfolk Juvenile Court
Clerk-Magistrate’s Office
55 Allied Drive
Dedham, MA 02026
781/329-1500
Register
Richard Schmidt
Norfolk Probate and Family Court
Register’s Office
649 High Street
Dedham, MA 02026
781/326-7200
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