Courtrooms usually focus on what’s happening in the front. The judge is the person people look at. The lawyers are also important. The accused is the person, on trial.. People rarely pay attention to the back rows of the courtroom. This is where people sit quietly hoping that nobody will notice them. That day something that was sitting in the back of the courtroom changed the court hearing. The court hearing was changed by something that was sitting in the back.
The case had already started.
The judge was. He was reading through the file slowly. The judges face showed that he was being mild and serious that is all. The theft charges did not look like they were going to be a case for the judge. This was a repeated offense for the person who committed the theft. The court sees this kind of case every day the theft charges and repeated offense are very common. The judge was likely very familiar, with theft charges and repeated offense.
The criminal was standing on the side of the place. The criminal did not move from the side.
This guy was probably in his twenties. He was wearing a jail jumpsuit. The man was really skinny. He looked completely exhausted, but not really mad or anything. His head was down most of the time. When people asked him questions he would answer,. He would not say much. The mans voice was totally flat you could not hear any emotion, in it.
The lawyer spoke next.
The man presented his case in an ordinary way. He talked about the circumstances that led to this situation the choices that were made and the mistakes that kept happening over and over again. The man asked the court to think about being lenient, with the sentencing. He did not sound like he really believed it would happen. The man appeared to be tired of saying the things, the circumstances and the bad choices and the repeated mistakes, over and over again just like he was tired of the case itself the circumstances and the mistakes.
The judge was really quiet. He listened very carefully to what was being said. The judge did not say a word he just kept on listening to the judge in the courtroom.
Something strange occurred at that moment. The thing that happened was totally unexpected. It was something that the person did not see coming. The unusual thing that took place was very surprising.
The judges eyes moved away from the defendant. Went to the back of the courtroom. It seemed like it was an accident, at first. He just looked that way for a second.. Then the judge looked again at the back of the courtroom. This time he looked for a time. The defendant was still standing there. The judge was looking at the back of the courtroom.
There was a woman sitting in the last row.
She was not trying to hide. She was just sitting there not moving all. Her back was straight. Her hands were folded in her lap. Her eyes were fixed on the floor. The woman looked really worn out. She looked older than she actually was. The woman did not look like someone who was there because she was curious, about something.
The judge stopped for a moment.
The man just stopped talking in the middle of what he was saying. He was saying something. Then he just stopped.
People, in the courtroom noticed.
The lawyer stopped talking. The defendant looked up. He was confused. The police officers moved a little.
The public became very quiet. The lawyer and the defendant and the police officers and the public were all waiting to see what would happen next, with the defendant and the lawyer.
The judge leaned forward. He was really interested in what the person, in front of him was saying. The judge wanted to hear every word the person was saying about the case of the Smith family. The judge was very serious. He leaned forward even more to listen carefully to the person who was talking about the Smith family.
The man asked the woman to get up and stand. He wanted the woman to stand there for a moment. The woman was going to stand where the man had asked the woman to stand.
The woman looked really shocked. Her face showed that she was completely surprised. The woman was taken aback she looked shocked.
She just sat there for a moment not moving all. Then she slowly got to her feet. The womans hands were shaking badly. She looked really embarrassed like the woman had made some kind of mistake.
The judge asked the woman who she was. The judge wanted to know who the woman was.
Her voice was really quiet. It was almost like she was whispering. She said that she is the defendants mother.
The defendant just stopped moving all of a. The defendant was really still.
He turned his head fast his eyes were wide open. The guy looked really surprised like he did not think she would be there all he really did not expect to see her.
The judge asked the woman why the woman was there. The woman had to tell the judge what the woman was doing at the place. The judge wanted to know why the woman came to the place.
The woman hesitated. She swallowed hard. Then she said that the woman just wanted to see her son. The woman said that the woman hadn’t seen her son in months. The woman did not want to speak to anyone. The woman did not want to interrupt anything. The woman just wanted to sit down and watch her son.
The courtroom felt really heavy. It was, like something was weighing down on the courtroom. The courtroom was filled with a feeling.
The judge nodded slowly.
The man then asked the defendant if he knew that his mother was actually in the room with them, at that moment. The defendant was being. The man wanted to know if he was aware that his mother was present.
The man shook his head. The mans jaw tightened. The mans eyes filled with tears slightly. The man quickly looked down again. The man did not say a word.
The judge stopped the hearing there. The hearing was going on. Then the judge decided to pause it. The judge paused the hearing.
Just like that.
No objections. No argument.
The man said that the court would take a minutes. He told us that the court would need a minutes to do what it had to do. The court he said, would take a few minutes.
People looked really confused. This was not what usually happened. People were not used to this kind of thing so they looked at each other. Wondered what was going on with the people around them. The situation, with people was just not normal.
The judge stopped for a moment then he asked the woman if she wanted to say anything. He told her she did not have to say anything if she did not want to. The judge made it clear that the woman was not being forced to talk.
The woman looked at her son. She really looked at the son. The woman saw the son and the woman thought about the son. The woman was thinking about what the son was doing. The woman wanted to know what the son was up, to. The woman looked at the son again.
Her voice broke fast. It just gave out away. Her voice did not last long at all. Her voice broke as soon as she started speaking.
She said she knew the man had made mistakes. The woman blamed the woman herself times for the things that had happened. The woman talked about raising the man after the mans father passed away. She had to work long hours. The woman said she had missed signs that the woman should have seen a lot earlier when the man was growing up.
The woman had a time getting her thoughts together. Her sentences were over the place. She said the thing multiple times. The woman also said sorry a lot even when nobody told her to do. She kept saying sorry which was not necessary because nobody was upset with her. The womans words were, like a mess.
The defendant started crying. This person just broke down. Tears began to fall from their eyes. The defendant was really upset. The defendant could not hold back the defendants emotions. The defendant was crying hard.
Quietly at first.
Then harder.
He bent forward a little his hands covering his face. He was not trying to hide the sound of his crying. He just could not stop crying. The sound of his breathing was really loud. It filled the whole room. The sound of his breathing, from his crying was all you could hear.
The judge did not say a word. He just stayed silent. The judge was completely quiet.
I think everyone else did the thing too. Everyone else probably had the experience, as me. The thing is everyone else felt the way.
The woman finished what she was doing. Then she sat back down slowly. She wiped her face with her hand. The woman was really done now.
The judge took a breath.
The mans voice was different when he spoke again.
Still firm. Still professional. But softer.
He talked about being responsible. He talked about the choices we make. He talked about what happens when we make those choices.. He also talked about family and how they can help us. He talked about the people who care about us and the heavy things we deal with that nobody else knows about. He talked about the weight of family and the support of family and how that can make a difference.
The man spoke to the defendant. He looked at the defendant. Said what he had to say to the defendant.
The man said that punishment by itself does not fix the problems that people have. He said that the law is there to protect the people in the community. The law also gives people a chance to change when it is possible. The law is supposed to protect society and the people, in it. The man believes that the law should also give people chances when it can.
The decision that the man made was a surprise, to a lot of people. The decision really surprised people.
It was not freedom. It was not punishment. The system was. Controlled. This meant that a sentence would include being held accountable for what you did. It also included support programs to help the Prisoners. The Prisoners would get support, from these programs.
The defendant nodded through tears. She was really upset. The defendant was crying a lot. The defendant just kept nodding. The defendant could not say a word.
The mother put her hand over her mouth. She was crying very quietly. She was really upset. The mother was trying not to make any noise. The mother just stood there with her hand, over her mouth crying.
The judge finally ended the hearing. Then he stood up. The hearing was over. The judge was done with it. The judge stood up from his seat.
The man walked out. The courtroom was really quiet. The courtroom stayed silent.
People did not rush out.
The people sat there they were thinking to themselves. They just. They thought about things. The people were thinking.
That day the case was not remembered for the crime that took place. The case was not really, about the crime itself. That day people did not think about the case because of the crime that happened.
That moment is still remembered when the judge looked away, from the file. He noticed a mother sitting quietly in the back row. The judge saw the mother. That is what people remember about that moment. The mother was just sitting there not saying a word, in the back row.
Justice does not always come from arguments. Sometimes people have to look for it in places. Justice is what we all want. It is not always easy to find. We have to keep looking for justice even when it’s hard. Justice is very important, to all of us.
Sometimes it comes from noticing who is watching.