District court judge takes court to pair of schools

On successive days in May, a Wayne County district court judge will "hold court" in school, considering real life cases in the presence of students at two area high schools. Judge John Courtright, of the 24th District Court for the cities of Allen Park and Melvindale, will be at Melvindale High School (18656 Prospect) on Thursday, May 15, to conduct his morning courtroom session beginning at 8:30 a.m. The court docket for the morning will feature a number of misdemeanor cases involving defendants charged with drunk driving, retail fraud, and possession of a controlled substance. "All cases are actual pending court cases and will be resolved in this session of the judge's morning call," explained Dawn Grubbs, court administrator for 24th District Court. On Friday, May 16, Courtright will be at Cabrini High School in Allen Park, 15305 Wick Rd., hearing a series of cases beginning at 9 a.m. "Holding court in school is part of Judge Courtright's proactive approach to solving several of the more serious problems facing the children of these communities: drinking and driving, underage drinking, drug use, shoplifting, and juvenile crime," Grubbs stated. "The students will be able to see firsthand that there are serious consequences waiting for those who break the law." Following the actual session of court, Courtright will then conduct the seconed half of the program, titled "Critical Life Choices." He will make a short presentation followed by a question-and-answer session with students. "This program is designed to show these kids that before they go along with their friends or succumb to peer pressure, they should first do a risk analysis," Grubbs said. "If they realize that in addition to court sanctions, other consequences await them, such as injury or death; hopefully they will decide it's not worth the risk to join in." The off-site sessions of the court, which are open to the public, are designed to help "the students in making critical life choices involving alcohol, drugs, and shoplifting that will affect their future," Grubbs indicated. Published: Wed, Mar 3, 2010

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