Citizens' Court Academy is a 5 week program to acquaint citizens with the courts in Hampton. The first session presents an overview of our courts, and the remaining weeks are spent in the courtroom hearing from judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and representatives of the many agencies used by the courts in criminal cases, ending with a mock trial in which the jury is comprised of course attendees. The Citizens' Court Academy is presented in spring each year. This year's course will begin on Tuesday, April 17, 2007, and will be presented each Tuesday night from 7 - 9 PM through May 15. For more information, contact Tricia Michael at 727-6442 or pmichael@hampton.gov.

Keep the Peace, a collaboration of the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, Hampton Police Division, and Sentara Careplex, is presented to 9th graders in Hampton schools in an effort to educate them about the dangers of guns in schools. A trauma center doctor discusses the physical damage to gunshot victims, while the prosecutor focuses on the possible legal consequences in realistic scenarios. The school resource officer discusses options for students to consider when confronted with knowledge of a gun in school. For more information, go to the police website.

Protect Our Kids is a project which provides assessments and treatment for children who witness violence at home, in school or in the neighborhood. Protect Our Kids was developed by the Hampton Family Violence Prevention Council, chaired by Linda Curtis. For more information, please go to http://www.transitionsfvs.org/protectourkids.html.