Teen Court

Описание: The juries in Teen Court are made up of trained high school volunteers, along with defendants who have previously been required to serve jury duty as a part of their sentence. All volunteers are trained by members of the local Bar association and court personnel. In contrast to other courts, Teen Court mandates that all defendants serve as jurors from Two to Twelve evenings at future Teen Court cases. Teen Court juries recommend participation in a community service agency as part of their sentence, with a minimum of fifteen hours and a maximum of one hundred hours. Other sanctions may be recommended such as drug urinalysis, boot camp, counseling, mentorship, essays, letters of apology, and restitution.

Teen Court is designed for youthful offenders. Teen Court is able to process cases within thirty days by having the defendants admit their guilt and waive their rights to a speedy trial. This process enables Teen Court to dispose of their cases in one-third the time of conventional Juvenile Court. If the defendant does not complete the program (i.e., sentence), the case is returned to the State Attorney's Office for trial in Juvenile Court before a Circuit Judge. If the defendant completes all sanctions, the original charge is dismissed.