Paul Burke’s presentation was intriguing because the light it shed on the complications the Massachusetts’ judicial system handles on the daily. The Massachusetts court system spans over the entire state, while each courthouse varies between the organization of the courts, how they are approached, and how they handle the procedures that the judicial system handles every day. Paul is a part of the Housing Court, which is one of the seven trial courts, it is one that has been relocated within the same building due to changes of where courthouses are to be housed.
Originally
in the Edward Burke Courthouse, the Housing Court had their own floor, through
many different changes throughout the state’s funding and planning Boston Municipal
Court had to be moved into a facility that could house the many courtrooms
needed to fulfill their needs. This move resulted in many different spaces that
were used differently from the intended use in order to fit all the employees,
detainees, and the public who are to use the courts.
Throughout Paul’s presentation, flashbacks
of serving on a jury helped illustrate the processes that Paul had been
mentioning during his presentation. Having served on a jury case, the orchestrated
processes that were discussed on the courts procedures became very coherent. Through
an understanding of how and where the public and staff are supposed to be can
help determine the decisions that could be made, this in turn could help flush
out complications that follow from visitors entering the court not knowing what
to expect.
The design for the new courthouse in
Lowell, is a good example of things the employees of the court would like to
have within a courthouse, although, that situation is comes from many years of
planning and voting to obtain needed funds. This example shows throughout the
presentation that the design decisions were made clearly throughout the project.
They were made with intent to make the court process easier for not just the
public that need coming into court, but for the employees of the courthouse from
the judges, clerks, security, and all the way to the detainees that are
transported into the facility. Having precedents such as these in mind can make
understanding the courts and what they need easier for someone who does not
always handle court procedures.