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Norfolk
County Criminal Justice Citizens Academy Announces Fall Session
Boston—Norfolk County residents
will again have the opportunity to participate in the Norfolk
County Criminal Justice Citizens Academy. They will learn
about the criminal justice system and the Massachusetts Trial
Court directly from judges, clerk magistrates, probation officers,
law enforcement officers and representatives of the District
Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Department, the Norfolk County
Bar Association, and the Wellesley Police Department.
Sponsored
by the Norfolk Juvenile Court and the Dedham District Court,
the three-year- old educational program is designed to provide
citizens of Norfolk County with a better understanding of
the Massachusetts court system and to enhance court and community
relations. Approximately 130 people have completed the program
since its inception.
"People
come to the Citizens Academy because they want to know what
goes on in our courts on a daily basis," explained James
F. Poirier, Clerk-Magistrate of the Norfolk Juvenile Court.
"We typically describe the different court departments
as ‘our courts,’ but the reality is that the courts belong
to the citizens of the Commonwealth, who are interested and
want to learn what kind of work is done in the court system."
The
Norfolk County Criminal Justice Citizens Academy is offered
free of charge to thirty 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 27, 2000 from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. During the eight-week
session, participants will gain an understanding of the jurisdictions
of the different courts and the roles and work of court personnel,
police, prosecutors and probation officers. The program includes
field trips to the courts, a police station, and the Norfolk
County Jail, and participation in a mock trial. Upon completion,
each graduate will receive a Certificate of Achievement.
Interested
individuals may obtain applications at the Norfolk County
Juvenile Court Clerk- Magistrate’s Office, 55 Allied Drive
in Dedham, or call the Clerk-Magistrate’s Office at (781)
329-1500.
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