Citizens’ Police Academy: Week Six

As Citizens’ Police Academy continues, the weeks get increasingly interesting. Week six -- last week -- was no exception.

Week six started off with a field trip to Northampton County Prison. When I was an undergraduate, I visited Luzerne County Prison with Intercollegiate Leadership Wilkes-Barre, so I had an idea of what our visit was going to be like.

While the experience was kind of the same, nothing prepares you for being inside portions of a jail that date back to the 1800s. For the historical background on Northampton County Prison, check out the five-page document I attached to this story.

When we first got inside, all jackets, hoodies, keys, purses, etc. had to be locked away. We then headed through the metal detector -- we all beeped due to our belts -- and we were scanned again with a wand.

Once we were ready to go, Lt. Mark Lambert told us to wave to the nice folks -- who we couldn’t really see -- sitting behind the entrance glass. “Make sure you wave and smile,” he said. “They are the ones who will let you back out.”

Do they have time for coffee? I’ll take them to dinner and everything!

Our first stop was the “B4 Housing Unit,” a therapeutic community started in 2008. In this unit, about 64 residents -- they prefer not to call themselves inmates -- work a 27-week three-phase program.

One of the residents volunteered to be a greeter. He told us about the program, which offers Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, individual counseling, group therapy, a variety of classes and a structured environment. The residents are in classes for about 12 hours a day.

According to our greeter, most of the residents are either drug addicts or alcoholics. That said, he happened to recognize Det. Sgt. Mike Melinsky, who specializes in "vices" like narcotics and prostitution investigations with Colonial Regional Police.

“I recognize you from somewhere,” the greeter said.

Melinsky simply said, “It’ll come to you.”

I suppose it’s likely that a Det. Sgt. who has worked in Northampton County for as long as Melinsky has would get recognized.

On that same note, I recognized three people myself during the tour. I saw Arielle Brooks, the woman behind the alleged “” scam, and , accused of shooting and killing , a Freemansburg police officer. Hitcho is in protective custody at Northampton County Prison because of the nature of his crime.

The third person I recognized was a speaker during the Standing Tall segment of our tour. During this part of the tour, we heard the stories behind the incarceration of two inmates.

The first speaker is from the Philadelphia area who moved to Easton. He was in and out of trouble for most of his life, and the college-educated inmate thought he was smarter than the system.

The second speaker, who hails from the Pen Argyl and Nazareth areas, talked about a mother who was absent and a father who was always working. Because of an older brother, he always hung out with an older crowd. When he switched high schools, he found the easiest group to fit in with -- the kids doing drugs and drinking underage.

The former U.S. Marine is currently facing multiple charges, including aggravated assault, resisting arrest, disarming a law enforcement officer and more. And since being incarcerated, he has been in trouble multiple times for fighting.

The day after our tour of the prison, we attended a mock trial in District Judge James Narlesky’s courtroom. The District Judge shares a building with . Standing in for Narlesky for our mock trial was District Judge Joseph Barner, who handles Freemansburg, Bethlehem Township and Lower Nazareth Township.

Barner showed a video that gave a quick rundown of how the Pennsylvania court system works. For the sake of time and space, visit www.courts.state.pa.us for more information.

During the mock trial, Colonial Regional’s administrative assistant, Lee McGuigan, played the part of the battered wife. Kevin Healey, a Citizens' Police Academy participant, played the abusive husband, and the editor of Nazareth Patch played their six-year-old daughter.

Richard Pepper, a Northampton County Assistant District Attorney, and a Northampton County defense attorney were both on hand for the trial.

Even during a mock trial, it’s really hard to answer questions! When it was my turn to "take the stand," I was questioned as if I truly was six years old. When a young child is questioned, the attorneys make sure he or she is competent to stand trial.

I was apparently competent, but I certainly felt silly when I couldn't figure out what the heck I was being asked! For example, I was questioned about the difference between right and wrong. The defense attorney asked, "Can someone get in trouble for telling the truth?" Well, I suppose they could... but they shouldn't. Is this a trick question?

I don't think it helped that I like being the one to ask the questions. I'm not a fan of being the interviewee. Oh, well. At least we got a few good laughs while also learning a few things along the way.

On the agenda for tonight, Nov. 16 is crime scene investigation and identity theft. Stay tuned!