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Teen
Court changes venue
Judge, student jury to sit at Plymouth High site.
 by
Sheri Hall, The Detroit News
For more articles visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
CANTON TOWNSHIP -- Judge
Ronald Lowe doesn't look the part at work in his blue jeans and
navy blue T-shirt. But these days, erecting walls and laying
flooring are part of his duties.
The judge is part of a team of workers from the 35th District
Court in Plymouth that is building a courtroom in the new
Plymouth High School.
The room -- complete with a bench for the judge and jury box
-- will serve as the home venue for the Teen Court program. And
high school students will use the venue for mock trials and
debates.
"This is really an annex of the 35th District Court," said
Michael Bee, Plymouth High School principal. "We wanted a
courtroom that looks real, feels real and functions for real.
It's the best way for our kids to learn."
The school district is providing a classroom in the new
building, and the court is spending $2,500 to install all of the
components of a real courtroom. Court workers -- from probation
officials to court officers -- are working on the room with
whatever free time they can find.
Starting in October, the court will schedule juvenile cases
in the room at least once a week. A judge will hear the cases
and decide if the juvenile is guilty. Then a jury of 12 teens
will determine the sentence.
Busy dockets
The 35th District Court began its Teen Court program five
years ago with Plymouth-Canton and Northville schools. Then,
high school teachers would bring their classes to the courthouse
several times a year to serve as juries in juvenile cases.
Last year, the teen court program at Plymouth-Canton schools
was busier than ever. One semester, teacher Tim Nadon's students
sat in juries for 75 cases. Nadon didn't have the time to take
so many field trips over to the courthouse in downtown Plymouth.
So he and court officials decided to bring the courtroom to the
high school.
"We had to figure out a way to keep kids in school and me in
class," Nadon said.
More than 600 teen court programs in schools across the
nation handle more than 100,000 cases a year. But Judge Lowe
believes this is the only teen court with an annex in a school
building.
"It's such a unique way for kids to learn about the law," he
said. "They come out with a better understanding of the system,
and they actually end up buying into it. They come to understand
the court's greater role in society."
The programs are generally used for young, first-time
offenders with less serious violations. In Plymouth, the
juvenile probation officer decides which cases are appropriate
for Teen Court. Most offenders face charges of shoplifting,
vandalism, breaking curfew or minor in possession of alcohol,
tobacco or drugs.
Teen jurors learn about programs the court can offer
offenders, including counseling, drug and alcohol abuse programs
and mandatory volunteer work. The teens must pick the sentence
they believe is most appropriate.
Eventually, school and court officials would like to expand
the program to include teen attorneys and judges, but that won't
happen for at least a year, Nadon said.
Numerous benefits
Teen Court is beneficial for many reasons, according to a
study by the U.S. Justice Department. They help teach teen
jurors about the court system. They save money by handling cases
more quickly and with less red tape. And coming before a jury of
other teens helps deter young offenders from breaking the law
again.
To be on a jury, students must be enrolled in a Practical Law
class at the high school.
"By working with the class, we get a really good mix of
students," Judge Lowe said.
Nadon, who teaches the Practical Law class, says his students
really take the job of a juror seriously.
"They don't always impose a harsher sentence, or a more
lenient sentence, but it's always more appropriate," Nadon said.
"They're interviewing the juvenile for an hour to find out as
much as they can. They're not trying to be punitive. They're
trying to rehabilitate them."
When school officials started the program, they worried that
juvenile offenders would hold grudges against the teen jurors.
"These kids may end up eating lunch together afterward, so
that was a concern," Nadon said. "But we've never had any
problems at all. The kids really end up respecting each other."
The program has silenced critics who worried that teens
couldn't handle so much responsibility, Lowe said.
"A lot of people worried the youth couldn't do it, but for
the most part, they've done pretty much the same things that we
would have done," Lowe said. "It's been incredible. We knew from
the start that if we empowered the youth, they'd do a really
good job. And they have."
Teen
court
What: Juvenile diversion program for young lawbreakers without
criminal records.
Participants: Students are jurors for the sentencing hearings.
Defendants: Juvenile offenders who have committed minor
infractions such as shop-lifting or possession of alcohol.
They are refered to the program by a juvenile probation
officer.
Across Michigan
The following are among the Michigan communities that host
teen-age courts:
Adrian
Beulah
Cass County
Charlevoix
Detroit
Genesee County
Holland Teen Court
Ionia County
Jackson
Lansing
Lapeer
Isabella County
Plymouth
Oakland County
Source: National Youth Court Center
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