Birmingham Public Library Student Mock Trial to Take Place March 16 at Jefferson County Courthouse

BPL Teen Librarian Lance Simpson

For eight weeks, about two dozen teenagers have been learning the criminal justice system, playing the roles of lawyers, judges, and witnesses as part of the Birmingham Public Library (BPL)’s inaugural Spring 2017 Student Mock Trial Program. On Thursday, March 16, the students will put their knowledge to work, presenting their mock trial inside the Jefferson County Courthouse in downtown Birmingham.

BPL has been partnering with the Birmingham Bar Foundation and the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Alabama to put on the program, with lawyers volunteering their time to meet with the students on Thursdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Central Library. The students have taken their roles seriously and are excited about the mock trial, said Lance Simpson, BPL system teen librarian.

The program introduced students from grades six through twelve to the critical thinking, technology, and advocacy skills utilized in trial practice, Simpson said. During the mock trial on March 16 inside a Jefferson County Courtroom, program participants will assume the roles of defense lawyer, prosecutor, witnesses, and judge.

Read more about the program at the links below:
http://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2017/01/birmingham-public-library-birmingham.html.