by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Teen Court isn’t going anywhere — but it is changing hands beginning next year.
The diversion program for teenage first-time misdemeanor offenders will no longer be run by the State Attorney’s Office, but instead will be run by Court Administration of the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
An emergency order during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting was unanimously passed, effectively approving the handoff. Council members approved an appropriation of $1.086 million from the State Attorney’s Office Teen Court program trust fund and budget to the judicial courts for the move.
The measure was needed to ensure there were no lapses in salaries or benefits for 10 employees transferring from the State Attorney’s Office to the courts and that Teen Court’s schedule wouldn’t be affected.
“The transition from the State Attorney’s Office to the courts will be seamless,” said Lawrence Hills, Teen Court program director. “The public can expect the same high degree of service.”
Hills’ role will officially shift from Teen Court program director to Teen and Truancy Courts program manager in January.
Court Administrator Joe Stelma said that State Attorney-elect Angela Corey, as part of a reorganization effort, needed the office space for staff working on violent crime cases and that there was room in his offices to make the transfer.
Stelma added the Teen Court program would complement the system’s other specialty programs, such as Juvenile and Adult Drug Court.
The Teen Court program diverts cases away from juvenile court and lets defenders go before a jury of their peers — other teenagers — to admit guilt and accept sanctions imposed by the jury. Sanctions include community service, participation in peer circles and serving as a juror, among others.
The program’s goal is to disrupt developing patterns of criminal behavior with the philosophy that youth violators are less likely to be repeat offenders if punished by their peers.
Teen Court is funded through traffic fines, with $3 of each coming off the top of each fine.
The court is run with trained teenage volunteers fulfilling roles as jurors, defense attorneys, prosecutors and bailiffs along with several staff. Taxpayers are spared expenses for the program, as it is largely run by volunteers.
Hills said dispelling any rumors of the program’s demise or cutback is important, as the program is merely shifting offices.
“It’s important to let all of the volunteers and staff who make this program successful know that there won’t be any break in service,” said Hills.
Instead, Hills said he expects the move to the courts to allow for more volunteer participation, especially judicial involvement.
“We’ve been talking about judges coming to volunteer,” he said. “The move should present us with some great opportunities.”
Shelley Grant, current director of youth offender programs for the State Attorney’s Office, said she believed the Teen Court program would mesh well with the other juvenile delinquency programs, especially Drug Court.
“I think it’ll be a really good fit,” said Grant, who is also making the transfer to the courts and will become Youth Programs and Grant director.
Stelma said the additional 10 people — four directly involved in Teen Court — aren’t a problem and it was imperative for the emergency action at Tuesday’s Council meeting to take place so the program could continue to run with no problems.
“It’s a great program and very successful,” he said. “It’s a statewide program and different county offices run the program ... it’s just now we’ll (Court Administration) will be running it instead of the State Attorney’s Office.”
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