A. Enhance the opportunity for first-time juvenile respondents (offenders) to clear their record, address underlying causes of juvenile criminal behavior, such as alcohol and other illegal substance abuse and to help them experience personal success.
B. Increase youth and families’ knowledge of the impact of crime, Laws and how the Judicial System functions.
C. Promote stakeholder involvement in addressing underlying causes of juvenile delinquency, crime and Victim’s Needs through implementation of Restorative Justice principles.

Description:
Eligible juvenile respondents, ages 11-16, who have committed a misdemeanor crime, are given an opportunity to take responsibility and be held accountable by a jury of their teen peers. In addition to specific program activity requirements, respondents must admit their guilt, appear during a hearing presided over by an Ingham County Judicial Official or Cooley Law School Professor, and accept a disposition issued by the jury of their peers. Their peer jury questions the respondent, and his or her parent/guardian, and victim to determine the disposition of the case. High School students are trained to serve during the hearing program step as Peer Jurors, Bailiffs and Clerks. They experience a service learning activity that augments classroom lessons in their govenment, economic, sociology and introductory law classes. (Currently, Lansing, Mason, Dansville and East Lansing High Schools are participating.) Court officials, judges, parents, teen volunteers, juvenile respondents and other stakeholders involved in the process, work towards positive solutions that result in rebuilding damaged relationships, repairing the harm caused, resolving problems and building community capacities that will address the underlying causes of juvenile crime and restore to the community what has been lost. All teen participants are learning responsibility and contributing to the reduction of juvenile crime and enhancing public safety.

History:
The Teen Court Intervention, Prevention, Education Diversion Program was conducted as a pilot project for one year, beginning on September 7th, 2000. Near the end of the pilot year, community leaders fully implemented the program and hired a fulltime director on April 10th, 2001. The initiative was established through a community collaboration committee under the auspices of then Mayor David Hollister’s, “Drug Free Youth Task Force”. Several key community agencies were involved in planning meetings to study the concept and its applications and most have remained committed over the course of the programs’ operation. Officials representing these groups have continued support of the Teen Court’s work and its ability to address juvenile justice needs, youth involvement in illegal substance use/abuse and other related youth development and family issues identified within the community. Teen Court Advisory Board Leaders have initiated a Memorandum of Understanding with Capital Area Youth Alliance, which allows the program to operate under their organizational umbrella.

Contact people:

Mike Botke, Director, (phone), (email) Anne Gill, Street Law Instructor, (phone), (email) Troy Wendell, Board Chair, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (517) 371-2836

Address:

217 South Capital Avenue - 230 Lansing, MI 48933 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.youthcourt.net

Directions:

Downtown Lansing, two blocks south of state captitol building at the corner of Wastenaw and Capitol Avenue. Teen Court offices are located on the 2nd floor of the Cooley Law School Classroom Building, which is located across the intersection from the Cooley Law Center.   Nearest Bus Stop: Across the street, 1 minute walk

Overall Experience   
Being in the courtroom gave me a better interpertation of how the court system works.

I gained more knowlege about the law and how it actually works. Being able to be on a jury and dibilerate on how to help several teens solve their problems makes me want to come back, and help others get their lives back on track. posted by evcheerbabe on April 14, 2007