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Court News Ohio
Teen Court Lets
Students Judge Their Peers
By Jenna Gant
March 9, 2016
When a teen ends up in court for theft, trespassing, or other
misdemeanor offenses, he or she usually ends up before a judge or
magistrate. In Stark County, teens help other teens in a court program
that’s marking its 20th anniversary.
Teen Court lets high school students become prosecutors, defense
attorneys, bailiffs, and jury members to their peers. Adult hearing
officers act as judges and help facilitate the court sessions that are
held in Canton, Massillon, Alliance, and Louisville three times a week.
Grace Werren is a junior at GlenOak High School and started
participating in Teen Court when she was 14 years old.
“I absolutely love it. I look forward to it every single week,” Werren
said. “The friends that we make here and the things that we do here are
just incredible.”
Around 40 students joined Werren at Stark County Family Court for a
Thursday session of Teen Court. In all, students from nine county
schools volunteer four hours a week for 14-week sessions.
“We don’t do anything bad to them – we’re just there to help them – but
it’s a unique feeling because you want to create ways that personally
benefit them and make them a better person,” Werren said.
The brainchild of Stark County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Howard
and Chief Probation Officer Joyce Salapack, more than 3,000 students
have participated in Teen Court since its inception in 1995, where it
grew from seven teens the first year up to 250 students this year.
“We tell them that this program was designed to help teens, not sit in
judgment of them,” Salapack said.
The court’s intake department determines if the teen defendants can
participate in Teen Court. They first must say they are guilty of the
crime – the Teen Court participants never find the defendants guilty or
innocent. Once approved for the program, the teen defendants receive a
45-minute hearing instead of the typical 15 minutes in Stark County
courts.
“We often get the backstory and hear from the parents and hear from the
child questioned by the hearing officer and by the teen jurors, and
they get the whole picture of the child, which I think helps craft a
disposition that will be effective,” Judge Howard said.
Once the teens hear from the defendants about how and why the crime
took place, the jury decides on the appropriate punishment and receives
approval from the hearing officer. The Teen Court participants often
have the defendants apologize to their parents, write essays, or
perform community service. Other creative options include mentoring
youth or helping out with charity events. Once the defendants complete
their sentence, their records are expunged.
Salapack estimates the rate of repeat offenders is between 10 to 15
percent and said it’s one of the “premier programs” for Stark County
courts.
“We really thought it would have a beneficial effect on the teen
defendants, but it really has a beneficial effect on the teen jurors
and the participants as well because they are part of the system. They
understand how the justice system works. I think they are proud of
that,” Judge Howard said.
Judge Howard said the Teen Court participants tell him that it’s one of
the most rewarding extracurricular activities they are involved in
because they’re participating in real cases and helping out real people.
Joseph Iacino was a Teen Court participant all though high school and
now works at Canton Municipal Court. He still volunteers twice a week
and helps with the outtake process when the teen defendants receive
their sentences.
“We make sure they have all the information they need and all the
paperwork they need and they can ask questions,” Iacino said. “The fact
that I got to sit in the courtrooms and do that, it makes me better at
this part now. It’s easier to relate to the kids because I was one of
the kids.”
In all, these students help process around 450 cases a year. Judge
Howard said that’s the equivalent of hiring an additional hearing
officer.
For the teens, it’s about giving their peers a second chance.
“It’s such a humbling experience to know what goes on in your
community. To know that you have a structured family and a house and a
great sense of friends or know the majority of what’s right and wrong –
yes everyone makes mistakes, but you haven’t been in a situation that a
defendant has been in. It’s definitely a very cool experience to be
able to help that person out,” Werren said.
United Way of Stark County donates $66,000 for the program, which helps
pay for extra court officials and to feed the volunteers. At the end of
the school year, $16,000 goes back to the teens for college
scholarships.
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