Area Students To Serve On Teen Court
August 21, 2018 at 5:59 p.m.
Area Students To Serve On Teen Court
By David [email protected]
The Honorable Judge David Cates swore them in Monday afternoon at the K21 Health Pavilion in Warsaw.
Teen Court is a restorative justice program for juveniles involved in first-time offenses, according to a previous news release from Kosciusko Cares. The restorative justice model takes a balanced look at the way in which relationships between the participant, the victim, the family, peers and community have been harmed and how best to repair that harm. It requires that each participant take responsibility for their actions and work to restore balance to those relationships. The Teen Court program offers participants opportunities to develop new skills, so they can make better decisions, and also holds them accountable for their actions.
Marsha J. Carey, Teen Court coordinator and Kosciusko Cares Youth Services director, said Kosciusko Cares “is a youth organization that provides prevention programming in the community. So we operate Teen Court, which is a prevention initiative,” along with other prevention programs. “Those are all part of prevention strategies and programs that we offer the community.
“Under Kosciusko Cares is the Drug Free Kosciusko Coalition, and that’s a group of committed Coalition members who really go out into the community and build those prevention programs. Teen Court is a strategy to help kids get on the right path and to prevent future problem behaviors,” she said after the swearing-in ceremony.
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Teen Court members apply and receive training in Teen Court procedure, principles of restorative justice, roles of the prosecutor and defense attorney, bailiff and court clerk, the news release stated. They learn how to prepare a case for a Teen Court hearing, learn about public speaking and speaking confidently during a hearing, practice these skills and complete a Teen Court Bar Exam. It’s anticipated they will hear approximately 80 cases during their tenure and each Teen Court member will provide more than 120 hours of volunteer service for the community, according to the release.
Teen Court also has a volunteer adult judge, local attorney John Barrett. Before the ceremony, he said Teen Court is based on the principles of restorative justice, and is not about punishment.
“It’s really, long story short, trying to help these kids through a tough time and getting them set on a path where they can be successful,” Barrett said.
Cases that will go before the Teen Court are referred to it by the county probation and prosecutor’s offices, he explained. “They’re cases that, without this program, may or may not be in Juvenile Court, the formal court system.”
Brad Voelz, chief deputy prosecutor, said the way it helps the prosecutor’s office is that the Teen Court “gives teens a chance to rehabilitate and make amends without going through the formal court process and having to go in front of the judge. It helps in the goal toward rehabilitation of teens rather than punishment. Teen Court is the first stop for that so we’re very thankful to have it.”
Cates said, “These are cases that likely would be in Juvenile Court but for the fact we have the Teen Court that can service these folks.”
Over the past nine months, Teen Court has received over 120 referrals from Kosciusko Juvenile Probation, according to the news release. The top offenses seen in Teen Court are truancy, fighting, alcohol and marijuana use, operating a vehicle without a license and running away.
This is the second year of the Teen Court in its second iteration. Cates said there was a Teen Court about 20 years or so.
Members of Teen Court have different job functions and they cross-train and rotate those jobs, Barrett said, including prosecutor, defense lawyer and juror. To be a member, a student has to apply and then there’s a selection process.
In speaking to the members before they were sworn in, Barrett reminded them that everything that happens in Teen Court stays confidential.
Voelz spoke to the students about the importance of Teen Court and its focus on rehabilitation.
Cates told the students he was proud of each of them because “what you are doing benefits our community. What you are doing is an extension of Indiana’s basic laws, constitution.” He said what Teen Court is about is rehabilitation “and that is the cornerstone of justice program in Indiana. ... So what you are doing is benefitting our community and our state. I thank you for that. Like I said, I’m proud of you for what you are doing. You’re going to put some work in, it’s not going to be easy. But I think you’re going to find it rewarding. I’m hoping you’ll enjoy it.”
This is the second year for Lesley Tayagua, Wawasee, and Sydney Stotler, Triton, to serve as members of Teen Court. The other 10 members are new to it this year.
“I really love getting involved and volunteering, and since I’m interested in being in the legal careers in the future, I want to be a lawyer, so I found this the perfect opportunity to try out what I want to do in the future and help out kids,” said Tayagua.
Stotler said, “The first year was really cool because when your juveniles came back and served on the peer jury, you really got to know them so they weren’t really juveniles in that case, they were more like your friends when they came back and that was really awesome.”
The Honorable Judge David Cates swore them in Monday afternoon at the K21 Health Pavilion in Warsaw.
Teen Court is a restorative justice program for juveniles involved in first-time offenses, according to a previous news release from Kosciusko Cares. The restorative justice model takes a balanced look at the way in which relationships between the participant, the victim, the family, peers and community have been harmed and how best to repair that harm. It requires that each participant take responsibility for their actions and work to restore balance to those relationships. The Teen Court program offers participants opportunities to develop new skills, so they can make better decisions, and also holds them accountable for their actions.
Marsha J. Carey, Teen Court coordinator and Kosciusko Cares Youth Services director, said Kosciusko Cares “is a youth organization that provides prevention programming in the community. So we operate Teen Court, which is a prevention initiative,” along with other prevention programs. “Those are all part of prevention strategies and programs that we offer the community.
“Under Kosciusko Cares is the Drug Free Kosciusko Coalition, and that’s a group of committed Coalition members who really go out into the community and build those prevention programs. Teen Court is a strategy to help kids get on the right path and to prevent future problem behaviors,” she said after the swearing-in ceremony.
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Teen Court members apply and receive training in Teen Court procedure, principles of restorative justice, roles of the prosecutor and defense attorney, bailiff and court clerk, the news release stated. They learn how to prepare a case for a Teen Court hearing, learn about public speaking and speaking confidently during a hearing, practice these skills and complete a Teen Court Bar Exam. It’s anticipated they will hear approximately 80 cases during their tenure and each Teen Court member will provide more than 120 hours of volunteer service for the community, according to the release.
Teen Court also has a volunteer adult judge, local attorney John Barrett. Before the ceremony, he said Teen Court is based on the principles of restorative justice, and is not about punishment.
“It’s really, long story short, trying to help these kids through a tough time and getting them set on a path where they can be successful,” Barrett said.
Cases that will go before the Teen Court are referred to it by the county probation and prosecutor’s offices, he explained. “They’re cases that, without this program, may or may not be in Juvenile Court, the formal court system.”
Brad Voelz, chief deputy prosecutor, said the way it helps the prosecutor’s office is that the Teen Court “gives teens a chance to rehabilitate and make amends without going through the formal court process and having to go in front of the judge. It helps in the goal toward rehabilitation of teens rather than punishment. Teen Court is the first stop for that so we’re very thankful to have it.”
Cates said, “These are cases that likely would be in Juvenile Court but for the fact we have the Teen Court that can service these folks.”
Over the past nine months, Teen Court has received over 120 referrals from Kosciusko Juvenile Probation, according to the news release. The top offenses seen in Teen Court are truancy, fighting, alcohol and marijuana use, operating a vehicle without a license and running away.
This is the second year of the Teen Court in its second iteration. Cates said there was a Teen Court about 20 years or so.
Members of Teen Court have different job functions and they cross-train and rotate those jobs, Barrett said, including prosecutor, defense lawyer and juror. To be a member, a student has to apply and then there’s a selection process.
In speaking to the members before they were sworn in, Barrett reminded them that everything that happens in Teen Court stays confidential.
Voelz spoke to the students about the importance of Teen Court and its focus on rehabilitation.
Cates told the students he was proud of each of them because “what you are doing benefits our community. What you are doing is an extension of Indiana’s basic laws, constitution.” He said what Teen Court is about is rehabilitation “and that is the cornerstone of justice program in Indiana. ... So what you are doing is benefitting our community and our state. I thank you for that. Like I said, I’m proud of you for what you are doing. You’re going to put some work in, it’s not going to be easy. But I think you’re going to find it rewarding. I’m hoping you’ll enjoy it.”
This is the second year for Lesley Tayagua, Wawasee, and Sydney Stotler, Triton, to serve as members of Teen Court. The other 10 members are new to it this year.
“I really love getting involved and volunteering, and since I’m interested in being in the legal careers in the future, I want to be a lawyer, so I found this the perfect opportunity to try out what I want to do in the future and help out kids,” said Tayagua.
Stotler said, “The first year was really cool because when your juveniles came back and served on the peer jury, you really got to know them so they weren’t really juveniles in that case, they were more like your friends when they came back and that was really awesome.”
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