Judicial court commissioner brings real-world perspective to UW-Oshkosh classroom

Eric Heywood, a judicial court commissioner in Winnebago County, presides from the bench. By day he oversees cases in the courtroom, and by night he brings those real-world experiences into his Criminal Justice 318 class at UW-Oshkosh.

On a recent evening in Sage Hall at UW-Oshkosh, students in Criminal Justice 318 confronted a question with no easy answer.

A young man punched his stepfather in the face. At first glance, the crime seemed straightforward. But there was more to the story. The stepfather had kicked the young man's dog, injuring its ribs.

Should prosecutors charge the son, the stepfather or neither?

The debate was led by Eric Heywood, a judicial court commissioner in Winnebago County who presides over cases from the bench by day and teaches Criminal Justice 318: Adjudication Process two nights a week at UW-Oshkosh.

Heywood let the discussion unfold as students weighed the facts, challenged each other's assumptions and applied concepts from their reading. The case was not hypothetical. It came from his own legal career when he worked as a public defender.

"You know, the kid admitted, 'Yeah, I punched my stepdad,' but it was because he kicked my dog in the ribs," Heywood told the class. "You could still prove there was a battery… but it was a question of discretion."

Some students argued that punching someone should lead to charges regardless of the circumstances. Others focused on the harm to the dog. As the discussion continued, most of the class reached the same conclusion prosecutors ultimately did in the real case.

"Most of them said dismiss against the kid," Heywood said.

In the actual case, the charge against the son was dismissed and the stepfather was charged for injuring the dog.

For Heywood, the exercise illustrates one of the central lessons of the class: the justice system often involves judgment calls that go beyond simply determining whether a law was broken.

Bringing the courtroom into the classroom

The course explores how cases move through the American court system and why those processes exist.

"I approach teaching to explain why the process developed, how it's currently applied, and possible changes proposed to improve the law," Heywood said.

Before becoming a commissioner, Heywood worked as a public defender, a prosecutor and an attorney in private practice. Those experiences allow him to show students how the same case can look very different depending on one's role in the justice system.

His current role adds another important perspective. According to Heywood, previous instructors for the class have come from the defense and prosecution sides of the legal system, including defense attorneys and the district attorney. Heywood is the first instructor to teach the class while serving on the judicial side of the courtroom.

As a judicial court commissioner-often described as a junior judge-he brings the perspective of someone responsible for weighing arguments from both sides and applying the law fairly from the bench.

"When we address different legal topics in class, I weave in real cases relevant to the topic that I have handled in court through different professional roles," he said.

By day, Heywood presides over the early stages of cases in Winnebago County, including bond hearings and preliminary proceedings.

"When someone is arrested, they appear in front of me for bond," he said. "I advise them of the charges and their right to an attorney and determine whether there is enough evidence for the case to move forward."

His caseload spans an extraordinary range of legal issues.

"I handle cases from before people are born to after they die," Heywood said, describing how his courtroom work includes matters ranging from child welfare to probate proceedings.

Looking beyond courtroom drama

Many students enter the class with assumptions shaped by television dramas or high-profile news cases. In reality, the legal system operates very differently.

In Winnebago County, Heywood explained, only about 1% of cases go to trial-a far cry from the courtroom showdowns often depicted in the media.

Most cases instead resolve through negotiated plea agreements involving less serious offenses such as drug possession, property crimes or assaults.

"The news and entertainment media predispose students to thinking that most court cases are serious crimes that proceed to jury trials with dramatic surprises," Heywood said.

In reality, the day-to-day work of courts involves a steady stream of routine cases, legal procedures and decisions that rarely attract public attention.

Those processes-and the reasons behind them-are essential for students preparing to enter the criminal justice field. Students must also recognize how laws are interpreted and applied in real situations.

"Understanding how the justice system works requires more than just reading the Wisconsin statute books," Heywood said.

Connecting theory to practice

For many students, hearing firsthand stories from the courtroom brings those concepts into sharper focus.

Alex Coleman, a junior political science and criminal justice double major, who plans to attend law school and become a criminal defense attorney, said those real-life courtroom examples deepen class discussions.

"Sure, we read about these different topics and go over them again in class, but to hear actual accounts of these things happening that are not mainstream news examples gives a reason why these aspects of the criminal justice system exist," he said.

Coleman, a first-generation college student from Syracuse, New York, said the examples help him better understand situations he has not yet encountered personally.

"They help to rationalize some of the topics that I personally have never seen or dealt with in my college career so far," he said.

Leah Czerwinski, a criminal justice major with a minor in law and policy who is set to graduate in spring 2027, said the course has helped her better understand the complexity of the legal system.

"You begin to see just how many different actors are working together toward the shared goals of public safety and justice," Czerwinski said. It broadens your understanding of the system as a whole; it isn't black and white, nor is it ever truly straightforward. Yet that complexity is part of what makes it so compelling.

Through discussions, case examples and simulations, Heywood encourages students to consider the perspectives of prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges as they analyze real-world scenarios.

In some classes, students even take on those roles themselves, debating cases and weighing the evidence from different sides.

A deeper understanding of justice

For many students considering careers in criminal justice, the class offers more than a look inside the courtroom. It provides a deeper understanding of the responsibilities that come with working in the justice system and the decisions that shape people's lives.

Heywood hopes students leave the class with a clearer understanding of why the legal process exists, and why it matters.

"I hope students take away from the course an understanding that the purpose of the adjudication process is fairness," he said. "Both the innocent and guilty deserve to be treated fairly."

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