New London — Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School student Justin Cunningham stood before Judge Omar A. Williams in New London Superior Court Monday and argued that a ninth-grader was guilty in the case of the stolen computer.

Cunningham, 13, was taking part in a mock trial with seven fellow students, and trying out a career he wants to pursue as an adult.

"I really would like to be a prosecutor," he said. "You do a lot of reading."

For the second year in a row, Superior Court Judge Kenneth L. Shluger and Bennie Dover Principal Alison Burdick brought students to court as part of a law advisory program. Working with the Connecticut Bar Association and with principals across the state, Shluger and Burdick in the past year created a lesson plan and expanded the law advisory workshop to include middle schools in Groton, Norwich, Manchester, East Haddam, Higganum, Salem and Hartford.

Volunteer attorneys and judges visit schools each week to conduct lessons about the law before bringing them to court. The students present their mock trial and interact with court personnel.

As criminal defendants began arriving at the Broad Street courthouse known as Geographical Area 10 for their court appearances Monday, the students sat in the two front rows of the main courtroom and listened attentively as staff described their educational backgrounds and duties.

"This is a courtroom where cases from barking dogs to some types of homicide are tried," explained Supervisory State's Attorney Michael E. Kennedy.

After Kennedy told the group that "any prosecutor worth his salt would not want to prosecute somebody who was innocent," Shluger posed a question.

"Would it be worse if an innocent man was convicted of a crime or a guilty man went free?" The students were divided evenly in their response.

Supervisory Public Defender Sean F. Kelly pulled his reading glasses from his jacket pocket as he explained why reading comprehension is key to his job.

"You can look through a case and find facts around which to build an argument," he said.

Chief Probation Officer Larry DeLong explained how his department conducts investigations, screenings and home visits of defendants as it supervises them with the mission of maintaining public safety.

The class asked each presenter about salary, and listened carefully when victim Advocate LeeAnn Vertefuille mentioned that speaking more than one language would make them "more marketable."

Deterrence also was on the docket Monday.

Throughout the visit, the court staff advised students that their best choice would be to avoid becoming a defendant in a criminal case. And when judicial marshals brought out a dozen prisoners, chained together, to be read their rights by the judge, the students saw firsthand why it might not be a good idea to break the law.

Siul Cartagena, 13, who played the role of a marshal, said he wanted to learn more about the legal process.

"I have an interest in police work and how justice is served," he said.

Jayd Sanchez, who played the teen accused of stealing a computer, conceded his character was likely to be found guilty. Returning to his seat after testifying, he said he was nervous in the witness box but enjoyed the experience. The students argued their case during a recess.   

"I always wanted to join law advisory because I'm a good arguer," he said.

Other student participants included Edroge Philidor, 13, Giavonna Taitogue, 13, Cameron Dixon, 14, Wilmalis Rodriguez, 13, and Junmar Louis, 12.

With the trial complete, they filed into Judge Williams' chambers to hear the verdict. The judge walked them through each element of the alleged offense, "theft in the first-degree," before saying he would have found the defendant guilty of stealing a computer from his school. The majority of the students had thought the defendant, who was influenced by his older brother to take the computer and sell it to finance a school trip, was not guilty.

"The thing that really swayed me is, 'What time did they take this computer?" Williams explained.

The alleged crime had occurred at 7:45 p.m.

"Is that a normal time to go into school?" he asked.

"No," they admitted.

"I think your guy is guilty," the judge said, advising the students to make good choices in their own lives, because being found guilty of such a crime would follow them for the rest of their lives and put them at a disadvantage when applying for jobs.

The weekly lessons will continue at the middle school, and later this spring the law advisory students will travel to the state Appellate Court.

"The Connecticut Bar Association and its volunteers are providing needed mentoring so that our students can begin focusing their studies toward their career and college of choice," said Burdick. "The lawyers working with kids are committed to building relationships with these students."

k.florin@theday.com