(Annapolis, Md. — Oct. 28, 2008) The Anne Arundel County District Court hopes that one visit to court can save young people’s lives. Approximately 100 students from Annapolis, North County, and South River high schools will visit the District Court in Annapolis on Wednesday, Nov. 12, for Schools in the Court, a program that shows them real-life consequences of making wrong choices.

During the Schools in the Court program, students will get a front-row view of the state’s justice system in action and learn about the legal and personal costs of speeding, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, drug use, and other crimes.

“We bring students to court for a day to try to prevent them from ever appearing before us as defendants,” said Judge Danielle Marie Mosley, who is leading the event. “We want these students to understand first-hand, not only how the legal system works, but also how making wrong choices can deeply and adversely impact their lives. There are real defendants – many times not much older than the students – and real outcomes, including, sometimes, people being handcuffed and led to jail. Because it happens right in front of the students, it tends to get their attention.”

In addition to watching criminal cases, the students will hear from victims and people who have been convicted of drinking and driving. They will learn about the legal and financial consequences of being charged with drunk driving, and meet with a representative from Maryland’s Shock Trauma Center.

The students will be greeted by Chief Judge Robert M. Bell of the Maryland Court of Appeals and Anne Arundel County Public Schools Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell.

The Anne Arundel County District Court holds Schools in the Court twice each year. The program was started in 2001 by Anne Arundel County District Judge Vincent Mulieri, who retired last year after hosting 10 sessions of the unique program.

The Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) Board of Education will tape the program to air on AACPS’s cable television channel. Broadcast times will be posted at www.aacps.org. Transportation for the students to come to the program is provided through a grant from the Anne Arundel County Land Management Board for Children, Youth, and Families.

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(Editor’s Note: Schools in the Court will be held from 9 a.m. to approximately noon on Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the Anne Arundel County District Court, 251 Rowe Boulevard, Annapolis. Members of the media are invited to attend. Please contact the Court Information Office at (410) 260-1488 in advance if you want to attend or have questions about when and where cameras will be permitted.)