The reason is that defendants lately are traveling in packs and preying on victims together. What that means for a prosecutor is that there are multiple defendants charged in the same crime and, therefore, multiple defense attorneys to deal with.
The morning session involved a felony hearing where 10 young men were charged in a gang assault that was captured on a high definition cell phone video. All 10 were identified from the video and arrested, which required the need for us to show the court evidence the defendants committed the crime or they would be released from jail. 10 defendants! 10 attorneys cross-examining my two witnesses! And yes it was just as brutal as it sounds.
The successful morning hearing wrapped up at 2:10, which meant I was only 10 minutes late for my 5 defendant suppression hearing for the afternoon. 5 defendants and 5 defense attorneys cross-examining my four witnesses about a different robbery and assault. This successful hearing wrapped up at 4:45. If it had pushed any longer I probably would have collapsed. There was a point where my brain was wandering so much that the judge was staring at me during some of the questioning, until I realized I should be objecting.
After all this, I dropped in front of the TV at home for awhile, something I rarely do. I'm the type of person that keeps busy, but the 15 different prizefights I felt like I was in had sapped all of my strength.
This is what it means lately to be the juvenile crimes prosecutor-young kids traveling in groups and picking off vulnerable targets.
This is the kind of story students need to hear about, or better yet, see for themselves at some point while in law school. I will recommend yournblog to my students.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I think the real life of a lawyer is necessary education for an aspiring student.
Deletethis is why I recommend The Real Housewives of New Jersey...it's a mindless way to unwind! You need a vacation
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