When Steuben Circuit Court Judge Allen N. Wheat decided to add movie producing to his Resume’ he gathered a cast from the community and enlisted the Ball State University Communications Department to provide the film–making expertise. The final work product is the movie “Think B4 U Drive.”
It is not a movie about the evils of alcohol or a documentary on highway safety. Instead, Think B4 U Drive was produced to teach Hoosier high school students about that “other” branch of government – the judiciary.
The finished production offers non-stop action, beginning with the scene at the Pub, a stop by a Steuben County Deputy Sheriff, a roadside field sobriety test, an arrest and trip to the jail, a DataMaster
test, booking process, and a jury trial that includes deliberations.
According to Judge Wheat, “When I was in high school, most of the attention in government classes was focused on the Executive and Legislative branches. The Judicial branch was ignored. Think B4 U Drive offers students an ideal introduction to the court system and students do not have to sit through extensive lectures or learn about the courts the hard way by experiencing an arrest and probation,
or worse.” The movie, and written materials Judge Wheat prepared to accompany it, have already been distributed to more than 40 Indiana high schools.
Judge Wheat, for his efforts in completing this project and in satisfying other requirements, was recognized at the Fall Judicial Conference with having completed the Indiana Judicial College Masters Program. He extended his gratitude to all of the cast members, whose participants included school principals, bankers, business owners, the Mayor of Angola, a County Councilman, a County Commissioner, a retired school superintendent, a high school senior, Deputy Sheriffs, Deputy Prosecutors, local members of the Bar, and the entire staff of the Steuben Circuit Court. He also recognized the priceless contribution provided by the Ball State University students and their professor who brought so much energy, enthusiasm, and expertise to the project.
Think B4 U Drive – coming soon to a high school near you.
— UPDATE —
The Think B4 U Drive video is now available on the Indiana Courts website at:
http://www.in.gov/judiciary/citc/special/thinkb4youdrive/index.html