Teen Court: Making First Offenses Last Offenses

Taking a different tack to dissuade teen criminals from becoming in-and-out-and-in statistics on the downward spiral toward adult crime, Wisconsin and other states are experimenting with "teen court," in which juveniles charged with small-time crimes such as retail theft appear before a jury of their peers. While several working models exist, all require that the teen admit to the crime and submit to the jury's sentence. The court tries to make teen offenders active participants in the process, encouraging them to think about their actions and the consequences, then visualize and plan for a brighter future. The emphasis here is on "restorative justice," ranging from a letter of apology or community service, to repaying crime victims for damages. To keep participants from falling through the cracks, teen court provides follow up, such as job skill training sessions. Of course, teen court doesn't work all of the time, but it's encouraging that many former offenders respect the system, and sometimes even become teen jurors themselves. Offering testimony from judges, court administrators, former offenders, and teen jurors, Teen Court: Making First Offenses Last Offenses describes how the system works, examines the benefits and obstacles, and offers advice on how to get a teen court started in viewers' communities. Practical and refreshingly cant free (though more in-depth excerpts of actual court sessions would have been useful), this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)