Joseph Job Z.

Pancho Legal Profession

#4 Critique and Learning from the Activity

I approve of the following practice: the judge makes sure that the accused have full understanding of
the charges against them. This practice takes is very considerate in that it takes into account the
unfortunate reality that many people who are accused have a very limited understanding of the law thus
may not even fully understand why they are punished. The practice of making them understand why
they are imprisoned or fined gives due regard to a basic concept in psychology : we avoid actions that
will cause us suffering. Thus, the accused are given an effective lesson when punished and society
changes for the better after their reform.

I commend the practice of the judge that I observed when she made sure that the accused absolutely
knew the the consequences of their plea. She reminded the accused with a serious tone that he should
not pleading for arbitrary reasons such as the shortening his time of imprisonment. If the judge never
stressed the consequences and importance of the willingness of the plea, some might their lawyer or
the judge was responsible for the suffering that followed the hearing. It grants the criminal the peace in
his mind that he was given due opportunity to plead according to his conviction and not due to the
pressure coming from his lawyer or from the judge. The accused knows his words and his decisions
alone are what determined his circumstances of punishment and thus he has less reason to resent the
justice system but instead to seek reform.

What I learned during the court visit is that the practices in a trial are very carefully thought-out. They
are the result of many considerations and reflections by law-practitioners on what could make the
justice system even more fair and effective. The judge takes the pains of explaining everything important
to the accused in their own native language. One who observes can only conclude one thing from our
courts; They observe and embody the essence of due process. The result is the appreciation of the
general public, and even the accused, of the purpose of our justice system and the social good that it
provides.