UNITED WAY ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Teen Court Delivers Justice to Juvenile Offenders
Students from Alliance, GlenOak, Louisville, Marlington, McKinley, North Canton Hoover, Perry, Washington high schools participate
Jury Deliberations
By Jim Speakman
This is another in a series of spotlight
articles on programs funded and/or
supported by the United Way of Greater
Stark County
(CANTON) A 13-year-old charged
with criminal trespass, assault and
disorderly conduct sat nervously before a
jury of her peers.
The prosecuting attorney, St. Thomas
Aquinas High School junior Cassandra
Steed, presented a recommended sentence
to the court: 15 hours of community
service, an essay on how to handle anger
and a face-to-face apology to the parents.
This is Teen Court, a program funded
through a grant from the United Way of
Greater Stark County.
It’s not a mock trial – it’s the real
thing.
Teens decide justice
Held every Thursday, high school
students gather on the sixth floor of the
Stark County Office Building Court, and
in Alliance and Massillon, to administer
restorative justice to their peers. They act
as prosecutor, defense attorney and jury in
cases in which the offender has admitted
his or her crime.
Before the proceedings began, Barb
Gheen, the hearing officer, cautioned the
young teen: “You are privileged to have
your peers looking at your case…We will
also give you the chance to speak, but you
must be warned that we will not accept
disrespect and dishonesty. If you do so,
your case could go official in front of a
magistrate.”
This unusual program allows
qualified juveniles who are first-time
offenders to have their sentence decided
by the Teen Court rather than a magistrate
or judge. Cases usually involve petty
theft, unruly behavior, possession of
alcohol or drugs, and chronic truancy.
GlenOak, Alliance, Marlington, Perry,
Louisville, Hoover and Washington high
The jury is permitted to ask
schools to volunteer for this effective
questions, and the juvenile whose case
diversion program each year.
was being heard had the opportunity to
“What I like about Teen Court is that
speak. The parents of the accused also
it’s all about second chances. I like
were allowed to address the court before
helping kids out, so they don’t have to go
the jury began its deliberations.
Teen Court offers a holistic approach to jail and have it on their permanent
for each juvenile offender, taking into record,” said GlenOak High School junior
consideration information such as grades, Tommy Germak. “It’s also opened me up
school behavior and special interests and to a world of law, a career I’m interested
in pursuing.”
hobbies.
For Grace Jones,
“It is important that
a GlenOak High
we see the juvenile for
School senior, and
more than the crime
juror, the experience
committed. This helps in
definitely puts things
making
the
proper
into perspective.
sentencing,” said Carly
“When you first hear
Black,
Teen
Court
about these kids,
coordinator.
your first instinct
Black volunteered as
may be to judge
a high school junior and
them. But when you
senior in the Teen Court
come to Teen Court
program and returned to
and learn about their
serve as its part-time
stories first-hand, it
coordinator.
helps me to better
Creative sentencing
understand them, not
may involve an apology to
to judge them.”
the victim, restitution,
Joyce Salapack,
community
service,
Teen Court
referral to a special
coordinator, agrees:
program or a written essay.
“It’s young people
In addition, the jurors
judging, not that they
assign the defendants to
are sitting there in
do something using a
judgment, but
talent they have. For
helping one another.
example, if it is discovered
—Joyce Salapak That’s why this
during questioning that a
Teen Court Coordinator program is
juvenile likes to draw, the
successful.”
jurors would assign her to
Teen
Court
encourages
the juvenile
create a poster depicting the way she feels
about herself. Other creative sentences offenders to think about how their actions
include writing a poem, a song or creating affected others, what harm they have done
to the community, the victim and
a magazine layout.
themselves.
The victim is very important to the
Eight high schools participate
Teen Court process. Victims’ feelings are
Over 200 high school student
expressed either by impact statements or
volunteers are selected from McKinley,
“A lot of these kids
come from
dysfunctional
families, and Teen
Court gives them
hope. There is
someone who cares
about them. They
have something to
look forward to.
There’s a bright light
at the end of the
tunnel.”
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personal appearances in court. The
defendants are often ordered to pay
restitution and write apology letters to
their victim, or to make a face-to-face
apology to their parents in front of their
peers.
Restorative justice makes an
impact
Restorative justice may be a new way
of thinking, but the Teen Court program
has been in operation since 1996. Over
400 cases are decided through this
program each year. Black estimates that
fewer than 15 percent are repeat
offenders. Many parents said the program
had a positive impact on their child, and
they would recommend this program to
other families coming before the Juvenile
Court.
“A lot of these kids come from
dysfunctional families, and Teen Court
gives them hope. There is someone who
cares about them. They have something to
look forward to. There’s a bright light at
the end of the tunnel,” said Salapack.
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across the community who bring the passion,
expertise and resources to get things done. Will you
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~Stacey & Rich Kyle
2014 Campaign Chairpersons