Sunday, November 07, 1999
Teen Court wins accolades
BY CHRISTINE WOLFF
The Cincinnati Enquirer
GEORGETOWN — Here's a courtroom scene one doesn't see very often: Seconds after the sentenced defendant leaves the room, jurors leap to their feet in unison and yell at the judge.
“What was that? Where did that come from?”
The questions flung in loud voices Wednesday didn't startle the black-robed judge, who stepped from the bench with a grin on his face, approached the jury.
A few more tossed barbs, then hugs, and everyone was friends again.
It's a typical ending to Brown County Teen Court. The teen-agers kept perfect decorum for 31/2 hours in the roles of jury, judge, bailiff and attorneys. With the trial over, decorum dissolved in dismay over the judge's sentencing choice in a mailbox-vandalism case.
“This jury was gentle,” laughed Robert Henry, a Teen Court supervisor, of their scolding of the judge.
Brown County Teen Court, in its third year, is one of a growing number of programs nationwide that allow teens to prosecute, defend and sentence peers who face minor misdemeanor charges.
These are real cases with real defendants, taken from the docket of Brown County Juvenile Court Judge Ronald Dvorachek. The defendants must be first-time offenders under 18 who have admitted guilt on such charges as underage drinking, vandalism, disorderly conduct, hunting violations, receiving stolen property, theft, trespassing and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
“That's the neatest thing — it's not a mock trial,” said juror Chase Richey, 17, a senior at Eastern Brown High School who wants to study law.
“It's the first time I've ever had any authority whatsoever — it's fun,” said Justin Milburn, 15, a sophomore at Western Brown High School, also a juror.
Teen Court is open to students in all Brown County high schools who have no juvenile-court history, a 3.0 grade-point average and a counselor's recommendation. The 22 students must sign
agreements to keep confidential the defendants' names and case details. They receive five weeks of training and can earn class credit for participating.
“Some float through, but there is a dedicated core that makes it work,” said Mr. Henry, who works with the Brown County Educational Service Center. “It's a fierce commitment of time ... sometimes, kids get here in soccer uniforms right from practice.”
Every Wednesday, Teen Court begins at 6 o'clock inside the Brown County Courthouse. One case goes to trial each week, ending after the jury deliberates on a sentencing recommendation and the judge rules.
There are benefits to being tried in Teen Court: No fines, no court costs, and the case is expunged after the sentence is completed.
On Wednesday, the old white courthouse's narrow hallways quickly filled with students. One stuffed down a fast-food baked potato. Another hurried off to change clothes, to reappear in what Mr. Henry calls the required uniform, “dressed for church or better.”
Four students assigned the roles of prosecutor and defense attorneys meet in separate rooms to write opening statements and closing arguments and prepare questions for wit nesses. (Defendants put on a defense even though they have admitted guilt.)
Brandi Darnall, 16, a junior at Ripley Union Lewis Huntington High, and Tara Meyer, 16, of Georgetown High School, are the defense team for the mailbox-vandalism case. They want to show the defendant might not have done the deed.
The time of the crime is in question; the girls quickly telephone a witness to help clear up statements.
“The times are off, the description of the cars is off and they're not sure when the mailbox was damaged — it's been damaged a lot before,” according to the defense.
Judge Jason Bellamy, 15, a sophomore at Western Brown, ruled the defendant guilty of damaging two mailboxes. The sentence: community service, replace the boxes, attend a counseling program and return to speak about responsible behavior.
Teen Court programs have become more popular over the past five years; a recent count shows 630 programs in 45 states, said Tracy Godwin, with the American Probation and Parole Association, Lexington, Ky. In Ohio, Teen Courts also operate in Franklin and Medina counties.
It's legal because juvenile court rules “encourage the informal handling of a (misdemeanor) case,” said Eileen Pruett, coordinator of the dispute resolution program with the Supreme Court of Ohio.
“If we can take a juvenile and make their first contact with the court system a positive one, the chances are better they won't be a repeat offender,” Ms. Pruett said.
Of the 60 juveniles handled in Brown County Teen Court so far, only three have landed back in the juvenile court system, said Judge Dvorachek, and only once has he had to step in to compel a defendant to complete a sentence.
Teen Courts are “one of the few juvenile offender programs that doesn't solely focus on the defendant,” Ms. Godwin said.
“There is the whole other group of young people involved, who are learning about the court system. ... It's not just a power trip but a sense of responsibility.”
Judge Dvorachek described the Teen Court's teen-agers as “very professional and very serious about what they're doing.”
“If you motivate them and give them enough rein, they'll come through,” he said.
“I think the process is fair,” he summed up. “There have been no breaches of confidentiality. I just never get any bad press off it.”
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