Volunteer Blog!

Volunteer Blog:

For my volunteer work I was able to help my brother who is an Assistant District Attorney in Nassau County, Long Island. More importantly than helping him during the day was what I able to observe during this entire experience. By looking at his every day life at his job, I was able to receive a better understanding of the legal system and how it relates to my project on prescription medication.

At the Nassau County Court house I reviewed my brothers drug cases and afterwards was able to actually witness how the criminal system worked from arrest, to an arraignment, to how a file ends up on the desk of an ADA.

My brother and I first went to arraignment court to observe where people who have been newly arrested are brought before a judge to decide weather or not bail or how much bail should be set. Here I observed numerous cases of driving under the influence as well as the sale and possession of narcotic drugs including prescription medication.

I learned that paperwork on these cases are then turned to files for the ADA to handle, my brother handles exclusively drug cases and he was able to show me files and arrest reports indicating what crimes took place. I was also explained the process in which a lab report is created in drug cases in order to convert a misdemeanor complaint, which is the accusatory instrument usually used to start a criminal proceeding, into a misdemeanor information, which is the accusatory instrument needed to bring a case to trial.  However, if the crime charged is a felony a grand jury must be convened and the case must be presented to them in order to obtain an indictment which is the accusatory instrument needed to prosecute a felony charge. For many people selling and using these drugs, a felony charge was granted.

Some things I learned about prescription drugs such as Adderall is that it is a schedule three controlled substance and is a class C felony which means a heavy fine and jail time as well as a criminal record whether you are selling or giving it away to a friend, because in the eyes of the law giving away is equivalent to selling the substance. I also learned that driving while under the influence of these medications if not prescribed is a felony as well because it is considered a DUI. I had no idea that the law had considered this to be such a serious issue up until now.

This was a good opportunity for me to observe the legal process and understand the gravity of using prescription medication illicitly. By seeing regular people who were held in jail go to court for these instances was a very impressionable on me who sees these crimes take place on a regular basis and now understands the gravity of what can occur if someone is caught using, selling, or giving away prescription medication.