Why Have A Teen Court?
The mission
of the St Mary's County Teen Court is to provide first time
misdemeanor offenders with an opportunity to restore
relationships within their communities through informal methods
of adjudication and provide them the resources to enhance their
future decision making. These diversion programs are designed to
teach responsibility and appropriate decision making while
restoring a sense of safety in the community. This program is
based on the philosophy that a youthful law violator does not
continue to be an offender when a peer jury decides punishment.
It provides an opportunity for first time offenders to avoid the
stigma of a formal permanent juvenile record while focusing on
youth accountability and development.
Teen Court offers a
forum for criminal misdemeanor respondents, ages 11 - 17, and
first-time traffic offenders under the age of 18, to explain
their involvement in an offense in a structured environment
where their words and actions are evaluated and judged by a jury
of their peers. The opportunity is provided for respondents to
accept responsibility for their actions by fulfilling sanctions
such as community service hours, jury duty assignments, letters
of apology, essays, special projects, or other sanctions the
jury feels is appropriate.
Teen Court handles misdemeanor
criminal, non-violent offenses including: theft, assault,
disorderly conduct, vandalism, minor alcohol offenses, and
criminal mischief. The St. Mary's County Teen Court Program also
handles selected traffic citations for drivers under the age of
18 and referred from the St. Mary's County State's Attorney's
Office as well as cases referred from the St. Mary's County
Sheriff's Office. Juvenile cases addressed by Teen Court can be
handled on a timely basis which frees up time and other
resources for the Juvenile Justice and Court systems to handle
more serious cases.
Even though participation in Teen
Court is totally voluntary, not every youth who applies, or
every juvenile who is arrested, is automatically eligible to
participate in this unique program. Therefore, it is regarded as
a privilege to be selected either as a volunteer, or as a
respondent for participation in the Teen Court Program. Flagrant
disregard of the principles of Teen Court will result in the
privilege of participation being withdrawn.
Confidentiality, objectivity, respect for the rights of others,
making a positive contribution to society, living within the
law, acting responsibly and understanding the justice system are
all fundamental Teen Court principles. These same principles
also serve as the very foundation of the relationships and
interactions between the various participants during the court
proceedings.
The Way Teen Court Works
Once identified by the Teen Court Coordinator, the
Department of Juvenile Services, The State's Attorney's Office,
the Sheriff's Office, or other sources, as a youth who would
benefit from Teen Court, the offending youth is given the
opportunity to accept personal responsibility for their actions
by acknowledging “involvement” (guilt) in the offense and to
understand that their participation in the program is totally
voluntary. Victim input (if applicable) along with parental
consent and participation are essential and mandatory. Teen
Court is designed to expedite the cases of first time
misdemeanor offenders.
These are real cases where an
arrest has been made or law enforcement officials have been
involved. Cases are screened in advance for any prior arrest
history and appropriateness by the Program Coordinator before
being accepted to Teen Court for disposition.
When the
case is to be presented in the "Grand Jury" format, the
respondent will be questioned directly by the jurors concerning
the facts surrounding the offense.
When the case is to be
presented in the "Petit Court" format, the respondent will have
a trained teen defense attorney assigned to the case who will do
his or her best to bring out any and all mitigating
circumstances in an effort to convince the jury to minimize the
penalties the jury imposes under the Teen Court Sanction
Guidelines. Representing the State of Maryland is a teen
prosecuting attorney who will try to bring forward all the
reasons that the jury should impose a stronger penalty within
the sanction guidelines.
Following the hearing, the Teen
Court Coordinator reviews the details of the disposition imposed
by the jury with the respondent and his or her parents. All
parties sign a contract agreeing to complete the imposed
sanctions within the allotted timeframe (usually 90 days). If
the respondent completes the sanctions within the prescribed
time the case is closed without further formal action, or the
referring judge is notified, if applicable, and normally the
case is closed.
Teen Court sanctions are designed so the
jury can custom fit them to the specific offense and
circumstance and will involve at a minimum, future Teen Court
jury participation, and community service.
Additionally,
a typical sanction could also include any of the following
sanctions within the sentencing guidelines:
•
Apology letter(s) to victim(s), parent(s), or other involved
individuals
• Research paper(s)
• Newspaper
Project
• Prevention or education program(s)
•
Substance abuse screening/education program(s) (as appropriate)
•
In-school informal probation
• Other sanctions deemed
appropriate by the Teen Court Jury
Who Serves On
The Teen Jury?
When the petit court model is
used, the clerks, bailiffs, prosecuting and defense attorneys,
and jurors will be St. Mary's County middle school and high
school volunteers (Grades 7 - 12) and prior respondents. The
prosecuting and defense attorneys will receive instruction and
guidance from local attorneys, who can also serve in the
capacity of Teen Court Community Judge. When the grand jury
court model is used, the panelists will also be St Mary's County
middle school and high school volunteers (Grades 7 - 12) and
prior respondents. Volunteer jury members can receive hour for
hour credit towards their Service Learning Project hours
required for graduation.
|
|
