Criminal Prosecution Clinic: Clinical Coursework

Catalog description

The six students enrolled in the Criminal Prosecution Clinic advocate before the San Jose Superior Court under the guidance of Santa Clara County prosecutors and Professor George Fisher. Students formulate case strategy, identify and interview witnesses, and conduct evidentiary motions and preliminary hearings. Their cases concern thefts, burglaries, assaults, weapons possession, drunk driving, and a range of other crimes. Students offer testimony by police officers, crime victims, and other witnesses and cross-examine defense witnesses. Clinic students spend at least four full days a week--Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays--at the D.A.'s office or in court. There generally will be two class sessions each week: a three-hour on-campus class on Wednesday mornings and a weekly lunch seminar at the D.A.'s office. Toward the beginning of the term, classes focus on skills training, including direct and cross-examination, admission of physical evidence, making and answering objections, and argument. Toward the end of the term, our classroom focus shifts to an examination and critique of the local mechanisms of criminal justice. Topics include the impact of race and class on the quality of justice; the institutional strengths and weaknesses of the actors in the system; prison conditions and prison reform; and the ethical issues that confront prosecutors and defense lawyers. Students typically tour San Quentin State Prison, the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, and Hillcrest Juvenile Hall in San Mateo and have the option to spend an evening on a police ride-along. Students must submit regular written reflections on their experiences in and observations of the local criminal system. Their assigned cases often require written court filings. During most weeks students will meet one-on-one with the faculty supervisor. Evidence is a prerequisite. Courses…