Indiana County’s District Attorney visits IHS

By ADDISON MOSCO

On March 29th – March 30th, Indiana County’s District Attorney visited IHS to educate students on juvenile justice. Students were sent to the auditorium during a class period to meet with District Attorney Manzi. 

Senior Loughlin Pagnucci, who attended the assembly March 29th commented, “I enjoyed the assembly. I think that the DA went over a lot of important information, and he answered questions that students had about the criminal justice system. He talked about his experiences working with juveniles in the criminal justice system, and how high school students can avoid ending up in a situation where they are being prosecuted by the DA. I think that it is important for high schoolers to understand the criminal justice system and how the legal system in the U.S. works. This way they are informed about things that could get them into legal trouble, and they can avoid doing those things.”

Students were given the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the assembly. Pagnucci stated, “People asked many questions about having careers working with the criminal justice system and about the day to day life of being the district attorney.” Senior Anna Margita also exclaimed, “Some of the questions that were asked involved what happens inside of court and how the DA handles certain situations. He answered them very clearly with a lot of insight.” Freshman Ayla Kugler, who attended March 30th, added to that by saying, “Someone asked, What does a DA’s day look like? He said that it’s never the same and that it depends on the day and what is going on. Others asked about search warrants and other criminal system questions.”

 

Indiana County’s District Attorney Manzi talking to the students of IHS

Margita explains, “I enjoyed it. It was interesting to hear his point of view and what he sees on a day to day basis. This helps us students to understand the consequences of our actions and will help us to prepare for the future. The DA talked to us about criminal intentions, the consequences of using drugs, and how everything you take a photo of will never be deleted off of your phone. He pinpointed how in your future everything will come back around. I do believe these things are important to talk to high school students about because there is a lot of peer pressure to do things we don’t want to do, and knowing the consequences can help you fight against what others are telling you. We have to be taught young so when times arise that these situations can harm us, we know how to handle it or the end result.” 

Many students found this assembly very insightful and important. 

Kugler stated “I enjoyed the assembly very much, it educated me on a lot of things that are important for today’s youth. The District Attorney talked about juvenile court systems and how everything is always there when you put it onto your phone. I think it is very important to have these kinds of meetings at the high school because students need to be educated on these types of things so they know for their future.”

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