by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Lawrence Hills wants more teenagers to get the message — before it really is too late.
As program manager for the Duval County Teen Court program of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, Hills has seen his share of teenagers of all stories and backgrounds come through his diversion and prevention programs.
“Our programs take teenagers with negative behaviors and use positive reinforcement through a jury of their peers to create change,” said Hills.
While similar in scope, the two specialty courts — Teen Truancy and Teen Delinquency — are different.
Truancy court takes middle school age teenagers who have lost or are losing interest in school and skip as a result. Failure to attend school — five or more days in a calendar month or 10 or more days in any 90-day period — will get offending students referred to the program. The teenager and their parent(s) or legal guardian are then brought before a jury of teenagers and an adult magistrate, many times an attorney, who then hear the facts and reasons for such excessive behavior.
Unlike a typical courtroom, after the offending teenager explains their actions, the jurors are able to openly ask questions for a better understanding, to gauge remorse and gain knowledge that will assist in their sanctions. As legal guardians responsible for their children, parents are also questioned by the presiding magistrate to determine if they enable the behavior, as it’s illegal for parents to allow their children to continuously skip school.
“In truancy, it’s really a mixed bag,” said Hills, regarding parental attitude, “but we are very serious.”
Once deliberations are complete, the teenage jury then assigns several responsibilities, which often include multipage book reports, imposed curfews, drug testing, essays, community service and meeting with career professionals.
By completing each sanction, the offending teen’s case is closed. If not, they’re then referred to the court system.
There have been close to 50 such truancy cases heard this year, as they are referred to the program through the school system.
While effective, those numbers pale in comparison to the more than 250 teenagers who have gone through delinquency court for first-time misdemeanor offenders. School resources officers are able to refer students through civil citations (“I think they’re the greatest thing ever,” said Hills) instead of simply turning them over to law enforcement.
Like Truancy Court, a jury of teenage peers and an adult magistrate hear the case. Unlike the former, though, guilt isn’t in question — just the punishment.
The punishment in delinquency cases often involves mandatory community service and jury time with additional consequences such as apology letters, essays, jail tours, counseling and curfews in play as the jury sees fit, with believability of remorse often a contributing factor to the severity of the punishment.
They aren’t the only ones who play a role, as teenage volunteers represent the State and the defendant and give arguments on behalf of their clients.
Hills and his staff recruit the mock attorneys from middle schools and the taste of the courtroom is a valuable experience for the participants through high school and on their way to college and potential legal careers.
“A lot of the (offending) teenagers really learn from the program,” said Danny Lane, a senior at Paxon School for Advanced Studies who has been with the Teen Court program for several years. “You can see it is making a difference.”
For the magistrates — many of whom are attorneys — who preside over the proceedings, it’s a way to give back.
“I think it’s a great program,” said Heather Solanka, an attorney with Akerman Senterfitt who has been a volunteer magistrate for more than five years. “You see so many kids and try ... you just hope it gets through.”
Both programs complement other specialty programs such as Juvenile and Adult Drug Court, and are funded through traffic fines, with $3 coming off the top of each fine.
Even though funding is solid each year, it has been consistent the past few years, said Hills, with last year’s budget running around $457,000.
Though budget talks have discussed such programs falling under City Council’s mandatory 3 percent budget axing, Hills said that due to the nature of its funding — not coming from the general fund — he believes the programs are relatively safe.
“It’s a program that is working,” said Hills. “It’s about getting to these teenagers before they become a part of the system ... and their actions follow them the rest of their lives.”
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