Mock Trial

Firstly, I was actually quite surprised by the verdict of the rape case that I participated in.  I considered it an open and shut case, considering both sides.  The defendent admitted that she had said no multiple times and that he still had sex despite her objection.  That seems to me to be all the information that would be needed to find him guilty.  I wish I had been there on the last day of the trial to have seen just why it ended like that. 

I was not surprised by the verdict of the sexual harrassment trial per se.  I thought that one could go either way depending on the personal stance of the jury members.  I do feel that it was a justified and proper verdict.  I think that the defense seemed to avoid the point and simply talk about whether or not she was demoted rather than argue whether or not she was sexually harrassed, which was what the trial was supposed to be focused on. 

Furthermore, I have not had any direct or indirect encounters with rape or date rape in this school or this community that I can recall, but there is no shortage of sexual harrassment at this highschool.  I think to an extent it is to be expected at the high school level with adolescents with highly active hormones intermingling.  But, I do however, believe that it does get out of hand at times.  For instance, just yesterday I saw a male security guard clearly staring at a female student's posterior as she passed, with a smirk on his face.  That sickened me.  I think although the person who he was staring at so innappropriately had no idea and thus was not affected at all, that this is unacceptable behaviour, especially for those who are hired to keep the school as a safe friendly environment.  I see a decent amount of verbal and physical harrassment of a sexual nature done by students of all ages.  Unsurprisingly, it is almost entirely male students who contribute to it.  I have no significant other experience to compare this to so I cannot truly say for sure whether this is too much or a normal level.