EL RANCHO TEEN COURT

March 2017

3/8/2017

 

1st Case
Do you think the defendant was depressed due to the separation of his parents? Why do you think his relationship with his mom weakened after the separation?
What do you think causes him to act out in the way he does?

2nd Case
The witnesses and the defendant were both telling different stories, How did this impact the case?
​Do you agree on the 30 hours of community service why or why not?
If the defendants friend threw the first punch why hit the defendant instead of the victim? 

59 Comments
Steven Rubalcava
3/10/2017 11:31:35 am

1. I think that the defendant was depressed but not because of the separation of his parents. He doesn't have any modivation to do well in school so he hangs around friends who are a bad influence on him. And if he doesn't have a father figure to teach him to be responsible and take care of himself he is going to end up in a correctional facility
2.I believe that the witness and defendant were both victims of the circumstances but since they lied it made them seem as liars and they lost the jury's trust. You can't get hit by the first punch if your best friend threw the first punch, especially accidentally

Reply
Ashley Herrera
3/10/2017 12:24:43 pm

Yes I believe the defienden is depressed. It caused him to be disconnected with his mom and lacked communication. His father is never home and therefore it is as though he lacks attentions and acts out.
I disagree with the 30 hours of community service because she continued to twist her story. Her "I don't know" replies didn't give her any credibility.

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Marcela Cisneros Elias Pd. 5
3/10/2017 01:20:51 pm

Case 1: I do not believe the defendant was depressed. I believe he was having some issues in terms of how to deal with his emotions but I don't think he was exhibiting signs of depression. Depression might cause lethargy and isolation away from his friends and family. I did not see this occurring. The defendant most likely was only dealing with the separation by acting out.

I believe the defendant had a weakened relationship with his mother because he was no longer living with her at the time. Additionally, I suspect that perhaps the separation occurred because of some sort of affair. Either way, the defendant must have felt betrayed by the fact that the mother had started an entirely separate family with the stepfather. Perhaps the defendant felt abandoned and as though his mother wasn't paying enough attention to him or his siblings.

I believe he acted out because of the separation but also likely because of his family situation. It doesn't seem that his parents are very involved in his life or his schooling and this is why he has strayed. Furthermore, it seems he is very influenced by the friends he has. Perhaps they aren't the best role models for him.

Case 2:
Because there were conflicting stories. It made it difficult to decide whether or not to believe the witness statements or the defendant. This in turn made it difficult to decide whether or not the defendant was guilty of the charges.

I believe the defendant should have gotten more community service hours. She doesn't seem to have a lot of extracurriculars and she's very involved with her friends. The additional community service hours most likely would help her focus back on her schooling and her priorities.

I believe the defendant was lying at this point to steer the blame away from herself. There is no reason why the defendants friend would hit her and not the victim. The defendant was just stuck in her lie and made things worse for herself. I am convinced she threw the first punch but wanted to change the story because she knew of the consequences.

Reply
Janette Segura Per. 5
3/10/2017 01:21:13 pm

1st Case: Yes I do believe that the separation of his parents made him depressed. I think that his relationship with his mom weakened after the separation because he thought that his mom forgot all about him and their family. I think the fact that he feels alone makes him act out the way he does. He does it to get attention from his parents.

2nd Case: It impacted the case because it was more difficult to understand what was true and what wasn't. Yes I agree with the 30 hours of community service because it's enough to make her understand what she did wrong. Probably the defendants friend hit the defendant because she wanted to start a fight between all of them.

Reply
Alejandra Garcia Period 5
3/10/2017 01:22:23 pm

For the first case I feel like the kid was depressed but his family did nothing to help him. I think his relationship with his mother was disconnected because it seemed like she had more interest in her new family. It also seemed like he preferred to live with his father because he let him do what he wanted to do.
I think with the second case having two different stories made it difficult to decide the sentence. I do believe the 30 hours of community service were reasonable. I think she threw the punch because of her anger.

Reply
Darlene Garcia Period 5
3/10/2017 01:22:45 pm

Case 1
1. I do think the defendant was depressed due to the separation of his parents because that does take a toll on you.
2. I think his relationship with his mom weakened after the seperation because maybe he felt that she started a new family with his step dad and that made him feel unwanted.
3. I think he acts out the way he does because he might feel like no one cares so that means he can do whatever he wants.
Case 2
1.The fact that the witness and the defendant were telling different stories, did make it harder for the jury to decide who was telling the truth and made it difficult to decide the punishment.
2. I do agree 30 hours is a sufficient amount of community service because it gives her a chance to not only help the community but also think about what she did.
3.Maybe the friend just started swinging without really looking so that led to her hitting the defendant rather than the actual victim.

Reply
Diego Rojas
3/10/2017 01:22:55 pm

1st Case:
I think the defendant had some sort of mental issue. He seemed a bit slow and had some kind of mental deficiency since he slurred his words and didn't speak very well.
The relationship with his mom was probably weak since the start and she is probably blamed by him for causing the separation.
To me, it sounds like the defendant has had history with violence, being raised in an environment where violence occurs a lot can make one do things he saw.

2nd case:
The differing stories cause there to be a lot of confusion over the case and what happened.
I don't believe that 30 hours was a good sentence, as she constantly lied and had this smug smile on her face. Personally, I think she should have been sentenced more harshly.
The defendant clearly made up stories. There was only three involved, her, her friend, and the victim- yet she doesn't know who threw the first punch.

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Danny Varela (per.5)
3/10/2017 01:24:01 pm

I believe that the defendant did have a rough childhood and a tough realtionship with his parents due to the separation. I think that in the second case the student was not telling the full storyline on how things went through. According to the second case she was not fully into detail about what happen between her friends and the victim.

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Arthur Perez
3/10/2017 01:24:03 pm

I think he was depressed because he probably saw his parents fight a lot and wasn't paid attention to. I think he also feels like his mom left him to be with her new boyfriend. He probably just wants attention

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Jazmin Mendez per.5
3/10/2017 01:24:15 pm

1. Yes I believe the defendant was depressed due to his parents being separated. It might have went downhill after the separation because maybe his mom does not give him enough freedom. He acts out the way he does because he probably doesn't get enough attention from his parents and he believes that by doing certain actions he will get the attention he wants.
2. It impacted the case because we will never know who was telling the truth. Maybe they could have gave her a little bit more time just because her story was mixed up a little and she was basically fighting her friend not for herself. Maybe she could have been involved with the other bad girls and it was probably her plan.

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Lesly Reyes. Period 5
3/10/2017 01:25:32 pm

1st Case
I believe like was depressed about the separation of his parents because he was constantly acting out.I believe that the mother-son connection was broken off after because he went to live with his father. I honestly believe that he was acting this way because he was trying grab this father and mother attention in other words he was crying for help.

2nd Case
This affects the case because now they are trying find out who is the victim, who is saying the truth and who is lying on how things turned out . I do believe that 30 hours was the right amount because they don't fully know the truth, and this amount was just because she was involved in the incident. Maybe she was there at the wrong time and she got hit first.

Reply
Denise Medina Period 5
3/10/2017 01:26:00 pm

1.) I feel that the defendant was very depressed about the separation of his parents because he probably didn't know how to react to such a big change. The relationship between him and his mom probably was weakened by the separation Because his mom. Was starting to get really overprotective and didn't give him as much freedom as his father. I feel the reason he is acting out like this is because his father gives him way to much freedom and never really checks up on him.
2.) This impacted the case because the jury couldn't tell how to decide on the Verdict to see which story was true. I feel the 30 hours was to little and they should have given her more Because she kept stating that she started fighting to defend her friend not herself. She shouldn't even have started fighting if she wasn't really involved. I think the defendants Friend hit the defendant because she was friends with the other girls and just wanted something to start happening.

Reply
Alfredo Alfaro period 5
3/10/2017 01:28:32 pm

1st case
Yes, because he thinks that his mother doesn't like his father so that's why he doesn't want to be with his mother.

2nd case
This impact the case because the mother was saying something different and the victim was saying something different to so by them saying different things it shows that their making up stuff.

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Arthur Perez
3/10/2017 01:28:58 pm

I think them telling different stories means someone is lying. I dont agree I think she was lying and if she didn't she could just not stood up. I she hit by accident

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Cristina Albarran per.5
3/10/2017 01:31:04 pm

1st Case
- The defendant was depressed for the separation of his parents. I think the relationship between his mother had weaken after the separation because in a way he knew he was going to have more freedom with his dad than his dad and also he kinda felt like it was his mom's fault. I think the reason why he acts out the way he does is because he wants attention. It's like a way of crying out for help.
2nd Case
- The witness and the defendant told different stories this impacted the case by confusing us and making us think that it was really her the victim, which she wasn't. I do not agree on the 30 hours of community service because in my opinion she shouldn't have gotten involved in anything since it wasn't her problem, I know that it was her friend and she still shouldn't have gotten involved. Maybe she hit the defendant because she wasn't really a friend she wanted to have a reason to why start a fight.

Reply
Angel Ramos Period:5
3/10/2017 01:31:27 pm

Q1. Most families have difficult times due to separation which can cause many types of conflicts and communication between the parents is very distinct and the child may not know how to react or cope with this type of situation. Maybe because he looks more up towards his father because thats what males practically do and for the mother shes more of the nursing type and the father is the provider and he looks more up towards wanting to be a man and provide for himself but he does it to where he ends up getting into trouble. Most likely because their really hasn't beeb anyone to guide him down the right path and teach him how to make choices that may have repercussions.

Q2.This impact the case because she tried to make it seem like she was the one whogot bullied but in reality shes the one who could of handled the situation alot better without violence. I do agree with the 30 hours because if you break any rules or laws your going to have to face the repercussions. Maybe because she was trying to make it sound like she was getting bullied and her friend attacking the defendant I honestly do not know how to answer that question.

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Rafael Gonzalez
3/10/2017 01:34:09 pm

1st case - I think that the separation of his parents did have an effect on the defendant but this wasn't the only thing that caused him to act the way he did. Even before their separation, the defendant had disciplinary problems and needed special help, which he did not truly get. Furthermore, the defendant does not like to spend time with his mother because she built herself a new family ande might feel left out. Also, she is way more strict that his dad and he can't get away with things when he's with her. He acts the way he does because he might be begging for attention from someone and its his way of expressing that need.

2nd case - The fact that the defendant and the witnesses were saying different stories made the case a very confusing one and it was hard to follow along with it. I disagree with the 30 hours of community service because I feel like it is very little time for a confusing case. Since the witness statement and the defendant argued different stories, it would be best to raise up the hours of community service just in case we didn't catch an important detail in the case that is against the defendant. Finally, this last question is a bit challenging to answer because it comes down to whether you believe the defendant or not. If the defendant was lying, then we shouldn't trust the statement that the defendant was hit first by her friend, but if she spoke the truth then she might have gotten hit first by accident.

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Leimy Estrada Period 5
3/10/2017 01:34:45 pm

1st case: No, I don't think the deffendent was depressed. I think his relationship with his mom weakened after the seperation because he probably thought she cared more about the other little family she made with his step dad and forgot about him.

2nd case: Everyone was confused. Yes, I do agree because I think that's fair for her to do. The defendents friend was probably not a good friend because why would someone hit their friend instead of the person they are arguing with.

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Fernando Facio per.5
3/10/2017 01:35:46 pm

The Defendent in the First Case did seem to be catching some feeling when the Jury Asked Him about The Relationship With His Parents and There Might of Been Something That He Wanted To Say but Never Did. The Relationship With His Mother Might of Had Weekened because he either was close to his dad or he was feeling guilty about their Seperation. Many People Act Differently to these Situations, and Since This Was The Way It Had Worked For Him he just kept on doing it. In The Second Case The Witnesses and The Defendent had Different Stories It did affect because we didin't know who to believe. On The Verdict I Agree That the 30 Hours of Community Service was the correct punishment for this Case, and by the Statements given in the Court Room about what happened This Case Was Very Confusing.

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Destiny Reyes Per.5
3/10/2017 01:37:44 pm

1ST CASE: I do believe he was depressed with his situation back at home and this is the reason why he acted out the way he did. The reason being that he was probably stressed out or bored and wanted to keep his mind off things which was a result of never wanting to be home and looking for trouble. I believe his relationship with his mom weakened after the separation because he probably didn't like how she and his stepdad enforced more rules than his father.
2ND CASE: The impact of the witness and the defendant telling different stories was that it resulted that the defendant was telling lies and got caught up. I do agree with the 30 hours because it was the right amount. Even though the defendant friend threw the first punch, it was probably an excuse to punch the victim.

Reply
Ashley Cota Period 5
3/10/2017 01:41:21 pm

1st Case
Q1: Yes, I do feel that he was depressed about his parent's divorce and him not being able to see his mom often.
Q2: I feel the relationship weakened after the separation for multiple reasons one being the defense was mad at his mom for marrying another man. The defense could have felt unwelcomed because his mom was starting a new family.
Q3: I feel the defense was acting the way he was because he wanted attention. He's the middle child and research has been taken where it shows the middle child is mostly left out and treated differently from the first born or last born. Another reason is his father was away at work so, no one was there to check-up on him.

2nd Case
Q1: By both the witness and the defense having two different stories it made the case very confusing and unable to choose whether it was a form of defense or not a form of defense.
Q2: I don't agree with the 30 hours of community service because she ment to hurt the victim.
Q3: The defendants friend could have hit the defendant to say let's get back to our seat.Or It just could have been an accident and the defendants friend ment to hit the victim.

Reply
Lazarus Fuentes P.5
3/10/2017 01:45:59 pm

F.C.----
1) I do not think he was depressed about their separation, though he definitely was not happy. I think he was angry, and he was trying to find a way to articulate his feelings.
2) After the separation, the defendant was dealing with two different people instead of the one cooperative entity. His parents had very different approaches to raising their child and it sounded like his mother was the one who had more rules, but he lost respect for her and most likely she never regained an authoritative stance with him, even now.
3) The defendant acted out for attention and for himself. Regardless of what he said or thought, his actions showed he was in need of restorative action and I think he knew it as well.
S.C.----
1) After the defendant attempted to look the victim, it was soon found that she had been lying about the majority of events and her credibility was negligible from there on.
2) I do agree with the 30 hours as the defendant had been dealing with a very fluid and volatile home life and that there was a history of bullying directed at her. Were it not for that, then she would definitely have been given a more severe punishment.
3) As with the rest of her story, this was probably a lie, and was something that should have been pursued further. The multiple witness statements, most notably the teacher's, all said that the defendant and her friend went up to the victim and began hitting her. I believe she was prepared to but not planning to fight, but when her friend started punching, she let her anger show as well.

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Katia Andrade Per. 5
3/10/2017 02:18:51 pm

Case 1:
I think the defendant was depressed because of his parents because when that issue was brought up he started crying. His relationship with his mom did weaken after the separation because throughout the trial he didn't even want to look at his mom. I feel like he wanted to get attention from his parents or he just wanted to look "cool" in front of his friends.
Case 2:
The defendant telling different stories impacted the case a lot because she kept mixing up her story and tried making the jury feel sorry for her. I believe the defendant should've gotten more than 30 hours because that isn't really much of a punishment. The friend threw the first punch and hit her friend maybe she had issues with the defendant and wanted to use the issue as an excuse to resolve their issues by fighting.

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Viviana Cabrera
3/10/2017 02:18:57 pm

1)I think the defendant was depressed because of the bad relationship he had with his mom. He may have been acting out l as a way to continue getting attention any way he could. The relationship between him and his mom may have weakened because she just accepted that he didn't want to live with her and didn't make and effort to see him often.

2) The impact of the witnesses and defendant telling different stories was the jury may have been agreeing with her and believing her stories but once her lies caught up everyone had more of a negative look on her.
I agree with the 30 hours given because with the questions asked to her I don't think she was a bad kid but just got involved with the wrong crowd when moving to that new school.

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Jose Lara
3/10/2017 02:19:19 pm

1st Case: I feel like this young man acted the way he has been do to a lack of attention at home and slight depression. His father had a serious lack of authority over his son and this cause him to act out against his father and at school.
2nd Case: I believe the defendent was lying the whole time to thecourt just trying to make herself seem innocent. Her trial seemed too perfect to be true and it seemed as if she had seriously planned out the incident the whole time.

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Julia Diaz
3/10/2017 02:19:32 pm

1st Case:
I do think he was depressed because of the separation of his parents. I think that when his parents sepreated he felt his mom was moving on from him and his family by starting a new one. I think that he acts out to show that he wants attention maybe from his mom rather than his dad or step-dad, I think he acts out to cope with the feelings that he won't express.
2nd Case:
I think that it affected the way the court room really looked at the case. We had an understanding that the girl and her companion were the ones to attack the victim but she said she was attacked. That makes it very difficult for us to belive anything she was saying. I do not agree I thought she should have gotten more hours because my only did she lie about what happened she seemed that she need things to work out and that she didn't truly understand what she did wrong. Even of her friend was the first one to throw a punch I think she just wanted a reason to hit the victim.

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Nancy Lopez
3/10/2017 02:20:12 pm

1st Case- I do believe he was depressed because he had many issues going on with his parents and the separation really affected him especially the relationship with his mom. I think the relationship with his mom weakened because she didn't really give him much attention so he went with his dad. I believe he might have acted out like this so his parents might give him more attention, but the attention that he needs and should already have.
2nd case-The different stories really impacted the case because it gave a different aspect of the situation and we didn't really know who to believe, especially because the mom intervened alot throughout the court session, so her mom might have had something to do with the different stories.I believe she should have gotten more hours, especially because she was lying throughout the case. She probably had issues with the victim too so she threw a punch too.

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Krystal Marquez
3/10/2017 02:20:18 pm

1ST CASE:
I believe that the defendant was depressed because of his parents' separation because when the subject was brought up, he teared up and obviously felt uncomfortable. His relationship with his mother might have weakened since he no longer lived with her and, as a result, felt an emotional disconnect. He probably acts up as a way to cope with his problems at home and to possible get attention from both of his parents.
2ND CASE:
The case was impacted because the judges and the jury needed to find out what actually happened at the time of the crime, and needed to figure out whether the defendant was lying or not. I believe that the defendant should have been given more than 30 hours of community service, because giving her more hours would allow her to distract her from what is going on in school and at home. The defendant probably needed a reason to hit the victim and that is why she did not punch her friend.

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Sophia Flores Period 6
3/10/2017 02:20:26 pm

1st case: I do believe that the defendant was depressed due to the separation of his parents. Typically when one's parents separate they feel as if it were their fault. This could result in anger build up from within. I think that he became more distance from his mom because he was already hurt and the fact that his mom married an other man who had stricter rules caused him to rebell. This may cause him to act out because he want to keep his mind busy and forget out his troubles.
2nd case the fact that the witness and defendants stories were both different made it hard to Dipict the truth from lies. But although we aren't for sure who threw the first punch I do believe that 30 hours was appropriate for a school fight.

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Janette Hernandez- Period 6
3/10/2017 02:20:31 pm

Case 1: I believe that the defendant was suffering from depression, due to the separation of his parents. In my opinion, the defendant's relationship with his mother weakened because he believed that the separation between his parents was her fault. I believe this because the mother already had another husband and two young children. I believe that the defendant needs more attention from his parents, so his actions were a cry for help.
Case 2: I believe that the defendant was a good student who hardly got in trouble so she might have changed her story to prevent from getting into a bigger amount of trouble. I also believe that her mother told her to change her story as well. The defendant should have received more community service hours.

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Jose Hernandez Per.6
3/10/2017 02:23:23 pm

I do not believe the defendant was in any way depressed because of his parents' seperstion. I bekieve this because it seemed as if his connections to both of his parents were somewhat falty. I think his relationship with his mother weakened due to the usual connection between a father and son. I think what causes him to act out in this certain way is because of his social image in front of his peers, maybe his reputation or he just enjoys to act out just because.
2nd Case : The result of having two different perspectives on the same story caused the misconception of the actual case. The 30 hours of community service does not seem proper enough once taken into account that the defendant both lied and did not provide enough evidence for her innocence. The friend probably took into account that the event that was about to unfold was something that she did not want.

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Jamie Baeza Per. 6
3/10/2017 02:23:23 pm

First Case
1. I do believe that the defendant mightve been depressed due to the separation of his parents, because of the way he acted and his grades , as well as behavior in school.
The relationship between him and his mother was weakened by the separation because of the "harsh" punshiments she gave him. This made him not want to see her or spend time with her because his father was basically never home , due to work, therefore he wouldn't have such harsh punishments or restrictions.
I felt that maybe the way he acts is connected to his parents lack of punishments. It felt like his behavior was , in a way, a cry for help.
Second Case
1. With the witness and defendant giving two completely different stories I felt that the questions the jury asked weren't answered. Everything felt unclear and just left everyone with more questions than answers.
I felt that the jury could've assigned more hours of community service because of all the lying and the jumbled stories that both the witness and defendant gave.
The friend might've lashed out at the defendant out of anger so the defendant started hitting the "victim" as a way to possible release her anger.

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Hugo vera Pr. 6
3/10/2017 02:23:28 pm

First case : I think the defendant was depressed due to the separation of his parents because of a situation he had back home. His relationship with his mom weakened after the separation because he saw the mom as the one who wanted to seperate. He acted this way probably because he was bored and isolated.
Second case: The impact of the defendant and the witness telling different stories was huge because the defendant was telling lies. The thirty hours of community service were not enough because she lied. She wanted to punch the victim so in result she said that she hit her friend.

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Elisa Martinez Per. 6
3/10/2017 02:23:48 pm

1. I believe that the defendant was depressed due to his parent's separation which is what caused his misbehavior. I believe his relationship with his mom weakened after the separation because he did not have much time to spend with her because he lived with his father. This has a huge impact on the defendant thus causing him to act out.

2. With the defendant and the witnesses telling different stories it made the case unclear and confusing. I agree to the 30 hours of community service because she sounded like she was being harrased and also that she was moving put a limit to the amount of community service. If the defendant's friend threw the first punch maybe she swung too far and hit the defendant which caused the defendant to hit back.

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Daniela Guerrero
3/10/2017 02:25:01 pm

1st case: The young boy has had previous issues due to stealing which makes it seem if he weren't to get caught he would have done it again. He, himself also stated that he'd do it again if he didn't get caught. The boy seems to have issues with his parent. He stole the fathers vehicle and he has no license. He also had anger issues, previous to the case he had a physical argument with his father infront of one his friends. His parents are separated, divorced. I believe for a teenager is something hard to take in. He felt that committing this incident wouldn't harm him in any way because his parent lack to put attention on this teen. I believe that the teen is more harsher on his mom because he blames her for the separation.
2nd case: The little girl was changing stories. It also seemed like the mother was to involved into giving her personal opinion on the incident. The changing of the stories didn't really help us in pleading her innocent or guilty. I believe she deserved more hours. If the friend hit the friend first I believe her hitting the victim after makes her the issue.

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Hennessys Ruiz
3/10/2017 02:31:12 pm

Case 1: I believe the relationship with his parents affected the defendant and his outlook on life. His lifestyle was not benefiting him, the family including him need a lot of help and consueling to further prevent any inappropriate behavior from the defendant.
Case 2: The defendant and witness were telling different stories so they got caught lying.
I agree with any punishment they gave the defendant
I believe there was a possibility the girl who threw the first punch accidently hit the defendant instead of the victim.

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Jesielle Valles
3/10/2017 02:31:27 pm

Case 1:I believe the kid was very upset due to his parents separation because the two people he had in his life that he would see together everyday no sees one every other day. I believe his relationship weakend because he went to live with his mom. I think he acts out on what he does because he doesn't have both his parents together and makes things easier to do things he isn't suppose to.
Case 2: By the defendant giving different stories gave a little bit of there back rounds. I believe in 30min of community service was to nice according to the lies we heard. I believe it was possible for the girl who through the firsts punch accidently hit her.

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Emily Lopez
3/12/2017 07:00:21 pm

1ST CASE: I do believe that he was depressed because of his parent's separation. His depression most likely led to his stealing, drug-use, and other problems. If the parents were more involved, then he may not have acted out the way he did. I believe his relationship with his mom weakened because he saw her as the villain. He blame her for leaving and abandoning him. I think his unhealthy relationships with his parents are the main reason for his actions.
2ND CASE: The different perspectives made it difficult to say wether the defendant was a victim of bullying or wether she was the main perpetrator. I think the 30 hours of community service was too little because her actions needed more of a severe consequence. By the way she was explaining it, it seems like the hit was not intentional, but this hit was the only justification the defendant needed.

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Francisco Rodriguez Per.5
3/12/2017 08:49:29 pm

I believe that the separation of his parents took a part in what he has done. It can be possible that he felt depressed being home, making him feel like "home" isn't home- this probably causes him to get out of the house and get his mind distracted by hanging with his friends by doing illegal activity. The possible reason for him to lose the connection with his mom is that she maybe started a new family, in which he no longer has the attention. Maybe he does the stealing and getting in trouble for attention. Another reason maybe the mother wasn't strict, so he wouldn't listen to her. I believe that the defendant acts the way he does because he doesn't have a solid family relationship that will help him make good decisions. It almost seems as if his mom and dad gave up on him (during the trial his parents showed little interest in the case- to me it seemed like that).

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Georjean Ortega
3/23/2017 08:55:35 pm

1st Case:
Yes, I believe the defendant was depressed due to the separation of his parents which led to his actions and behavior. Based on his testimony, I think he may have blamed his mother more than his farther on their separation. Also, despite saying how he has a good relationship with his father, I think the only reason he says that they have a "good relationship" is because his father is more lenient and doesn't really keep track of his son's actions; which also adds on to why the defendant acts the way he does.

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Destiny Rivera
3/23/2017 10:29:26 pm

1st Case: The defendant did not seemed to be depressed with the fact that his parents were divorced, but it did affect him. He wasn't necessarily depressed, he was just still coping with the change and in need of attention. His relationship with his mom weakened after the separation because she had got into another relationship where the stepfather was more involved than the his dad. He feels closer to his father because he is more leniant than his mom. He acts up because he is not getting enough attention at home so he is seeking in within his group of friends.
Case 2:The telling of different stories made it harder to determine who was telling the truth. I disagree with 30 hours of community service because it is not enough to be considered a punishment. People complete 30 hours within six months for themselves and others, so it's not really a punishment. It doesn't give her enough time to reflect on what she's done or to see what she can really contribute to society. She probably said or did something to make the victim angry or was instigating to her friend.

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valerie calvillo
3/24/2017 08:19:35 am

i would not say that the defendant was depressed but was more like hiding his feelings them actually talking them about. he was acting a way that since his parents separated he had control of himself and can do whatever he wanted. i feel that his relationship with his mom weakened after the separation was because she was probably the one that left but we don't know the real reason because we did not ask that question. he really needs help with feelings and talking them out .

2nd case:
in the second case it was really confusing because she was tieing everything up in a ball and made me confuse . one kid from the jury i believe caught up with her and the defendant was the one getting involved . i believe she got the right amount of hours because it was fight that happens in every school , yes she was bullied also . but i still believe she should not have got involved in the first place.

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Haya Villarreal
3/24/2017 09:53:20 am

Q1: I do think the defendant was depressed he was showing signs of depression because of his parents divorce. I think his relationship with his mother weakened because he probably didn't like the fact his mom had started a new family and he felt that he didn't belong. He might of acted out because he wanted attention from his parents.
Q2:The fact that the defendant was streaching the truth had a little bit of impact as we still gave her 30 hours of community service. I think we should have given her more for lying and trying to make herself seem innocent when the witnesses were all saying something else. Maybe the hit hit the defendant because the defendant's friend wanted her get her enraged at the victim just enough so she and the defendant can gang up on her.

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Nick Rodriguez
3/24/2017 11:24:41 am

1st Case: I do believe that the separation of the defendants parents did in fact make him depressed. I believed the separation with his mom happened because she was more strict on him. I believe his actions are auctioned from his parents and siblings.

Case 2: We did not know the whole truth so could not give a reasonable verdict. Yes because we did not know the whole truth so could not decide on community service hours. I believe that is not the truth .

Reply
Andrea Chavez
3/24/2017 12:04:13 pm

Case 1:
I believe that the defendant was, in fact, suffering from depression. It could possibly be attributed to the separation of his parents as well as other previous traumatic experiences. I also think that his relationship with his mom was weakened after the separation because he could possibly be blaming her. The defendant could be blaming his mom for the separation of his parents. Due to all of his negative experiences, he could be taking out his anger and pain in the form of acting out.

Case 2:
The fact that both the witnesses and the defendant were both telling different stories impacted the case by making the information unreliable. This made me question everything everyone said. I also didn't agree with the 30 hours of community service. I believe the hours were too small. Also, I think the story was unreliable, which makes the "facts" confusing. So, the defendant possibly didn't throw the first punch or she did; either way, the story was, once again, unreliable.

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Viviana Reyna
3/24/2017 12:11:06 pm

I believe the defendant was depressed due to his parents separation and I also believe this is because he never dealt with the situation. I believe something happened with him and his mom or him and his dad caused his relationship to weaken with his mom because he seemed very distant with her. Also maybe because of the mom's new husband, his stepfather. I don't think he likes him because he's stricter than his dad. I believe his depression about his parents separation causes him to act the way he does. That and how he's "bored."

It impacted the case because it had the audience not knowing who to believe. Although since ALL the witnesses were the same, it makes sense to say that she was lying. I agree with the 30 hours of commuting service, it's just the right amount. I believe she threw the first punch but she was lying about who did

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Ariana Campos
3/24/2017 12:17:02 pm

1st case: Yes I do believe that the reason the defendant was depressed was because of the separation of his parents. I think his relationship with his mom weakened after the separation because he wasnt spending as much time with her as he used to when his parents were together. Being away from her so much just caused his relationship with her to slowly fade. I think the first reason that he acts out so much is primarily because he wants attention from other people but especially from his parents. And I also think he's just a troubled kid who didn't have anyone really tell him what was right and was wrong when he was growing up.
2nd case : this impacted the case because now there are two people telling completely different stories, and it's now more confusing for he jury. Since the witness and defendant were telling different stories and it was harder to determine who was telling the truth, I think that 30 hours was too small. I think that they hit the defendant to make excuses to hit the other people. But the defendant and the witness seemed to just be making excuses

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Alexandra Aldana
3/24/2017 01:27:41 pm

1st case: I do believe he was depressed due to the separation of his parents that's why he acted out the way he did. The reason why he's acting like that is because his father doesn't seem the care much about what he does or about his education which is why he doesn't do so well in school either. I believe his relationship with his mother weakened because he doesn't like how she applies more rules than his father.
2nd case: The impact of the witness and defendant telling different stories turned out that the defendant was telling lies. I don't agree with 30 hours because it wasn't the right amount. The defendant threw the first punch and lied, she should of done more hours so she can understand that what she did wasn't right.

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Bianca Arias
3/31/2017 08:13:09 am

Case 1: I did think that the defendant was depressed. He acted the way that he did because he was bothered with the separation of his parents. The relationship with him and his mother was not as strong as it used to because they do not see each other as often as they used to. Case 2: Both the defendant and witness telling different stories and going along with what sounded more convinient indicates that the both of them were lying. I felt that the defendant should have gotten more hours of community service, since the defandant was the one to throw the first punch.

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Brandon Rosales-Valenzuela
3/31/2017 01:16:07 pm

I do think the defendant was depressed due to his parent separation. And it may be deeper than that, because it seems as if he was hurt more. I think he was close with his mother that when she left him at such a young, impressionable and delicate age leaving him, just destroyed him mentally and emotionally. I think that he is seeking for attention and he also has a lot of free time that he just gets bored at home, and he chose poorly

Reply
David Hernandez
3/31/2017 06:29:04 pm

1st Case: I believe that the defendant was depressed due to the separation of his parents. The separation seem to have affected the relationship with his mom more. I think this happened because she got remarried and he felt like her second family was more important to her. I think he acts out to get attention. I think since he feels upset or disconnected from his family he wants attention from his parents.

Reply
Jayleen De La Torre Per5
5/22/2017 01:53:50 pm

1st Case. I do believe that the defendant was depressed due to the separation of his parents. I feel the relationship with his mom weakened because he was able to have more freedom with his dad and that is what he wanted. I strongly think that this was a call for attention.
2nd Case. The two different stories made it very hard to understand the case and analyze it because there was Alot of confusion. I feel that 30hrs is an appropriate amour for her community service.

Reply
Julia Diaz
5/22/2017 02:18:35 pm

Case 1: I do think that he was depressed because his parents separated. I think he felt that his mom was to blame about his parents separation so his relationship with her weakened. I think he feels that he doesn't get a lot of attention therefore he acts out to get his parents attention.

Case 2: I think that since they were both telling two different stories it made us feel that she was lying and we didn't know who to trust. I think there should have been more time added to the charge because I felt that she didn't understand the severity of what she did. I think that she hit the plantif first and she didn't want to tell the truth

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Karla Arce
5/22/2017 02:28:01 pm

Case 1: I do believe that the defendant was depressed because of his parents divorce. It seemed to have deeply affected the defendants relationship with his mother. Ever since she got remarried he probably felt like his mother's second family was more important to him. He probably acted out to get attention from his mother.
Case 2: Because of the two conflicting stories, it was hard to decide on an appropriate sentence. Both of them were telling two different stories and were making it convenient for themselves. I feel like they should've received more than 30 hours.

Reply
Eileen Peralta
5/22/2017 02:38:14 pm

1st case: I do believe the defendant was depressed because he was pretty young and so not having his parents together he lacked the attention from both his parents together. The relationship between his mother could have weekend because he saw that his mom had made another family and so he felt pushed away from her. That could be a reason why he was acting the way he did because he wanted more attention from both his parents.
2nd case: It impacted the case because now it was hard to tell who was actually the victim and if the defendant was actually trying to protect herself or if she was the one who started the fight. I do agree with the 30 hours of community service so she can have enough time to reflect on what happened. It may have been that the defendant was provoking the victim even though she was saying that she was the victim, and so her friend possibly did it to hopefully stop her.

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Melody Romero
6/1/2017 12:24:50 pm

1st case: I do believe that the defendant is depressed due to the separation of his parents. He seemed disconnected from his mother and didn't seem to have any confidence in himself to do good in and out of school. It seemed as if it were a cry for help.
2nd case: it was hard to tell who was really the victim since they're both stories contradicted eachother. I believe the defendent was lying to get out of it but dug her grave a little deeper because the judge caught her lying.

Reply
Sandra Giusto
6/1/2017 01:54:45 pm

1. Yes I do believe the defendant was depressed due to the seperation of his parents but I do not believe that excused the way he acted upon those emotions. He must of felt betrayed by the seperation if it was due to infidelity or something similar. I think he believes his actions are justified because of the attention he gains from them.
2. I believe the conflicting stories made it incredibly difficult to determine what really happened. I do not agree with the 30 hours of community service, I feel the defendant deserved more hours.

Reply
Samantha Hernandez
6/2/2017 02:32:03 pm

1. I believe that the defendant was depressed and always used the excuse that her parents weren't together , all he wanted was help .

2. It is really hard to see what happened everything was so complicated , he needed more hours .

Reply
Paola González
4/23/2018 01:24:20 pm

Q1. I feel that the separation of the defendant’s parents does in a psychological sense affect him, separation of parents affects children in different ways. In this case, the separation of his parents affect the strong bond or relation, the defendant views of his mom.
Q2. I feel that throughout the case, there were complications among the defendants feelings and views for his future. I feel that the defendant should get more involved with the community by implementing more community hours.

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