(This is an archive story, please refer to byline for author name)
By Aimee Monnett
As students continue to move forward with their educational pursuits, one field often looked over is that of law and legality. Presently, the trillion dollar career industry is undergoing a lot of changes. Elements of legal practices remain unchanged, while developments transform the mechanics of the industry. Among many resources to guide this field is that of law classes- readily accessible by sign-up to students.
There are two sides to law classes- principles of law, and forensics. A generalized law class will teach things like critical thinking, doctrinal law, legal writing techniques, risk aversion, issue identification, and legal ethics.
“Students seem most excited about the hands-on labs and activities that are offered in the law and forensic classes,” Law 2 court systems and Forensic Science teacher Ashley Johnson said. "If they are serious about going into law after they graduate, then they will love everything about it.”
Forensics, essentially, is the application of science to the legal system. Those within a course covering forensics will learn things such as analytical skills, the ability to assess and draw conclusions from evidence, and ethics- a largely critical component in the field of law. Elements an educator may choose to cover within this course include: the history of forensic science, Crime Scene Investigation, fingerprint analysis, toxicology, and biological evidence.
“Forensics is an amazing place for anyone who's into figuring out who killed someone in a certain way or figuring out the killer,” senior Aidan Gentry said.
There are a plethora of reasons one may choose to pursue law. Whether you want to help problem-solve on a community level, be an active part of local government, have a passion for science, or just have a particular interest in a certain area of law.
“Principles of Law class is an introduction to the Public Safety pathway,” Johnson said. “It informs the students what occupations are available in the criminal justice system. We cover law enforcement, fire, security, corrections, forensics, and courts. This will include civil service jobs as well as civilian jobs.”
To expand on this, those in law enforcement are often a pillar of the community- on a social and legal level. They often engage in collaborative partnerships between law enforcement agencies and individuals, as well as organizations that they serve to problem solve with and increase public trust in law enforcement (namely officers). These partnerships can include legislative bodies, prosecutors, probation and parole, public work departments, local law enforcement, health and human services, ordinance enforcement and schools.
“Law enforcement attracts all types of kids, especially those who have an interest in any branch of law,” senior Juanisse Gascot said.
Law enforcement is known as a Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource (CIKR), which are complex systems put in place to ensure safety and security of a region. While it is no secret that those in law enforcement have to work hard and well at what they do- especially in the area of gaining public trust- it is a respectable career field. Whether one becomes a lawyer, officer, or otherwise - the principles of law are present, necessary, and adapting to the times.
“[Law enforcement] classes cover a lot of different professions, but one of the best things about law enforcement and forensic science is the teachers,” Gascot said.