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will also provide the youth volunteers an education in how the judicial system operates and allow them to ascertain their interest level
<br />in the various fields of law and encourage community involvement by youth. Some Teen Court participants will be referred tothe
<br />Resolve Program, also to be administered by the CCMC. Resolve is an eighth-week program focusing on helping youth and their
<br />families to acquire and practice skills designed to foster the development of supportive and positive relationships. Topics will include:
<br />family systems and their dynamics, conflict styles, needs, behaviors and consequences, listening skills, anger management, talking with
<br />respect, and negotiation. At least three slots in the maximum class size of fifteen youth will be open to non-Teen Court participants
<br />who, referred from the same sources, have exhibited similar attitudes and behaviors but who have not committed an offense for which
<br />they could be formally charged/petitioned. Parents/custodians will meet separately and together with the youth during the sessions and
<br />must participate in the program with the youth. There will be adult Resolve facilitators and they may use the assistance of youth
<br />volunteers. The Coordinator will recruit adult Resolve facilitators who have education and experience in dealing with youth and their
<br />families and either the Coordinator or the Executive Director of the CCMC will be on-site when these classes are being held and may
<br />assist in the facilitation of some of these classes.
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<br /> Youth offenders who have admitted responsibility for such offenses/behaviors as truancy, larceny, trespassing, property damage,
<br /> communicating threats, simple affray and simple assault may be referred to Teen Court and, if they meet the program criteria, will have
<br /> their cases heard before a jury of their peers who hear the case for disposition purposes only. Teen court volunteers serve as
<br /> prosecution and defense attorneys, bailiffs, clerks, andjurors. After hearing aggravating and mitigating arguments from the Teen
<br /> Court attorneys as to the type of sentence that should be rendered, the jury retires from the courtroom to deliberate the sentence which
<br /> will be specified in a sentencing grid. The sentence imposed can include such options as community service, restitution to the
<br /> victim(s), letters of apology, service on several Teen Court juries, and a curfew. An adult, either a practicing or retired judge or
<br /> attorney, will function as the judge. The Teen Court and Youth Services Coordinator will be in the courtroom to coordinate the
<br /> hearing process and after the sentence is rendered will answer any questions that the youth offenders have. For cases where restitution
<br />-- is involved, the Teen Court Advisory Board, the Coordinator, and the Executive Director will work with Juvenile Services and the
<br /> local Juvenile Restitution program to see which of the referred youth offenders might be eligible for participation in that restitution
<br /> program. In the event that certain youth offenders will may not be eligible for participation in the local Juvenile Restitution Program,
<br />_ their dispositional Teen Court hearings will be continued for a second date to allow time for mediation to take place between the youth
<br /> offender and complainant(s) to resolve any restitution issues. For youth offenders who are ordered by Teen Court to complete
<br /> community service hours, they will participate in a community service program to be. set up by the Teen Court Program using local
<br /> non-profits and service organizations forjob sites. They will not be ordered to perform over 20 hours of community service work
<br />-- which will be uncompensated. Some of the youth may qualify for the existing Juvenile Community Service Program. After the Teen
<br /> Court hearing, the Coordinator will attempt to have weekly contact of some type with the youth offender and their family in order to
<br /> ascertain the level of compliance with their sentence and will notify the referral source, which can be Juvenile Services, the District
<br />_ Attorney's Office, and school or law enforcement personnel, of either compliance or non-compliance. The referring party may then
<br /> chose to consider other recourse. However, if formal charges are then pursued and filed, any admissions of responsibility obtained
<br /> during the Teen Court process are for that purpose only and are not to be used for any subsequent court actions which may or may not
<br /> follow non-compliance. During the course of Teen Court involvement, the Coordinator may offer to make referrals to other
<br />-- community resources which may seem to fit the needs of the juvenile. Upon termination from the program, the Coordinator will
<br /> perform a program exit interview with the youth and his/her parent/custodian, and notify the referral source that the case is being
<br /> closed. The Coordinator will follow-up with the youth, his/her parent/custodian, school, and Juvenile Services to ascertain whether the
<br /> _ services provided by Teen Court have proven to be effective in deterring further conflicts in the home and in school and that no
<br /> subsequent contact with the judicial system has occurred within one year of sentence completion.
<br />
<br /> The Teen Court Program will operate partially in the CCMC offices and partially in space within the courthouse. Teen Court Youth
<br />-- Volunteer trainings will most likely be held in the CCMC offices. Some of these trainings may also be conducted in the schools. The
<br /> Teen Court hearing sessions will be conducted either in the courthouse or in a location with space resembling a courtroom. The
<br /> weekly Resolve classes will be held in the CCMC offices. Due to an anticipated need for additional staff for both the youth-serving
<br />-- programs of the CCMC and for the conflict resolution services of the CCMC, the need for adequate training space, and need for
<br /> handicapped accessibility, the CCMC will be relocating its offices within the next few months.
<br />
<br />The main area of concern with regard to the effectiveness of the program would be in the area of the referral process, youth monitoring
<br />and follow-up contact. These will be very crucial developmental areas for the Advisory Board and the Teen Court & Youth Services
<br />Coordinator. As the Advisory Board will have representation fi.om referral sources, these areas of concern can be addressed. In
<br />addition to this area of concern, steps will need to be taken to make sure that the Coordinator, Executive Director, and Advisory Board
<br />keep abreast of the potential changes to the juvenile code being recommended by the Governor's Commission on Juvenile Crime and
<br />Justice which may be enacted by the state legislature. These changes may effect the referral process, age limitations, and levels of
<br />funding.
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