Oct. 7, 2015 – A new State Bar of Wisconsin public educational program will help adults learn more about how the criminal court system works in Wisconsin – without having to experience it firsthand.

The program, Criminal Court System, is one of three now offered by Our Courts Wisconsin, which has the goal of furthering public knowledge and understanding of the courts and legal system.

The criminal court program joins two others, Lincoln’s Legacy and Myth and Realities in Wisconsin Courts.

“This new presentation gives judges and attorneys excellent opportunities to inform the public about aspects of the criminal justice systems as it actually works in Wisconsin, as opposed to what people glean from watching television and the movies,” said Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Brian Blanchard, who is co-chair of the State Bar’s Public Education Committee.

The new program highlights the Constitutional rights of the accused, including the rights to due process enforced impartially by judges in court proceedings.

“We have tried to make the presentation engaging and thought-provoking for a general audience, while touching on a fairly broad range of basic issues,” Judge Blanchard said.

As members of the Public Education Committee, teams of lawyers and judges work together to develop engaging programs and establish a group of trained speakers for Our Courts Wisconsin. They are specially trained and offer nonpartisan information programs free of charge to adults across Wisconsin.

All of the educational programs are available at no charge to audiences across the state, and are geared toward community and school groups who can book the presentations for events and meetings – everything from lunch gatherings to annual board meetings.

“We are really looking forward to the presentations that judges and attorneys will give across the state, adding their own personal perspectives and answering questions as they arise,” Judge Blanchard said.

The Our Courts program is funded by a generous grant from the Wisconsin Law Foundation, the charitable arm of the State Bar of Wisconsin, supporting law-related education and public service programs statewide.

The programs now offered by Our Courts Wisconsin are:

Criminal Court System

The Our Courts Wisconsin Criminal Court System program is an entertaining, informative presentation on the ins-and-outs of the criminal court system. Each presentation highlights clips from movies and actual court cases, with attorney presenters breaking down the courtroom scenes and explaining how each one demonstrates various elements of a criminal proceeding.

Criminal court can be very complex, so this presentation starts right at the beginning of a case. Presenters will first examine the arrest and gradually proceed to the sentencing, all the while relying on recent, highly publicized court cases to make the program relatable to all audiences.

Lincoln’s Legacy

This essay was written by Hon. Russell E. Carparelli, a Colorado court of appeals judge since 2003, with the collaboration of the Colorado Judicial Commission and Our Courts Colorado. This essay shares a personal side of Abraham Lincoln and offers attendees an understanding of how Lincoln guided our nation to move closer to the ideals of equality and liberty.

We do not speak of Abraham Lincoln as one of our nation’s founders, yet we owe him an incalculable debt of gratitude for his commitment to the principles of equality and liberty stated in the Declaration of Independence and for transforming the Constitution to give those principles the power of law.

Myth and Realities in Wisconsin Courts

This humorous presentation will help audiences understand the judicial system through excerpts from the various pop culture depictions of court proceedings. The entertainment industry often presents an unrealistic and unflattering view of what happens in the courtroom, and this program aims to correct some of the misinformation. From Judge Judy to John Grisham, we’ll be separating myth from reality and learning more about the court system along the way.

Volunteer, and Bring the Courtroom to the Communities

The State Bar accepts lawyers and judges as volunteers for the Our Courts Wisconsin training program. The program now offers an online training video, which can be requested through the State Bar. For more information, contact Katie Wilcox via email or at (608) 250-6191.