Thus, ordinary citizens cannot enter the staging area to perform except when invited or compelled in the role of witness. Access to the main staging area also exists through concealed and hidden doorways which are nearly imperceptible from the surrounding wooden walls. These camouflaged doorways lead to private areas and are utilized by courtroom personnel, i.e., court clerk, court reporter, security officer, etc. Likewise, the panel of jurors hearing a case enter and exit the room via a passageway designed exclusively for them. Armed court security officers maintain vigilance within the courtroom and thereby limit access to these privileged portals.
Spatial organization contributes to, and constrains, interaction.
Such organization may emphasize or degrade the status of an individual or group. By means of elevation and access to backstage regions, the judge may be recognized as an important, prestigious court functionary. A less official public is seated away from the judge's bench and near the rear of the room. Expressions of authority and acumen are ceremoniously enacted with respect to official court participants, dramatizing social distance from others as well as indicating an elevated status. Moreover, demonizing rhetoric and designations assist in further lowering the moral status of the accused.