Students Visit Court: Here’s How a Trial Works

As part of the six-hour “Youth and Law” project, which ran over three weeks, Class 8c—taught by Steinmühlen teacher Dr. Claudia Röder—attended a court hearing at the Marburg Regional Court. The goal was to supplement the theoretical knowledge they had learned about court proceedings with real-life experience. After all, the media often convey certain ideas about what goes on in court. But is that really how it is?

The hearing concerned a juvenile criminal case involving assault. The group of students, whose field trip had been organized by Heike Schneider, a judge at the Regional Court, and Dr. Claudia Röder, was guided by Judge Thomas Rohner.

The students at Steinmühle found the discussion about whether the offense in question constituted minor or serious bodily injury particularly interesting. The parties to the trial also debated whether the male defendant should be sentenced under juvenile or adult criminal law. The arguments for and against were discussed at length, as they have a significant impact on the sentence.

Afterward, the very interested teenagers were given the opportunity to ask the judge and the prosecutor questions. At the end of the visit, Judge Heike Schneider showed the guests from Steinmühle the jury courtroom at the regional court and talked about her work.