by Lawrence Hills Jr. Program Director, Teen & Truancy Court Fourth Judicial Circuit
May 1 brings about a time for reflecting on the U.S. Constitution and the purpose for laws in our society. At the Duval County Courthouse, a group of teenagers found a more creative way to celebrate “Law Day.” The youth participants of the Duval County Teen Court Program elected to have a poetry reading contest on the topic of law.
Specifically, the teens were challenged with addressing the following question, “Why is it important for all people to follow laws?” The contest was composed of youth who themselves were charged with committing misdemeanor offenses. They had two weeks to prepare for this event.
The trainings were conducted by Matthew Hernandez of Shattered Thoughts Inc. Matthew, himself not too far removed from high school, feels that this creative expression is important. He credits this form of verbal expression for keeping him from obtaining a criminal charge during his turbulent teenage years.
Krystal Roig, who works directly with youth offenders in this program, welcomed the challenge in bringing expressive arts to the front line in providing alternative, positive routes youth could utilize in relieving stress and anger. She was pleasantly surprised to see the level of enthusiasm coming from the youth that she works directly with.
“They were glad to see that someone was taking an interest in what they had to say,” she said.
The youth offenders were not the only young people with something to say. The youth volunteers who normally serve as teen attorneys in court proceedings stated that it was good to hear the thoughts of the juvenile offenders in this program.
One youth volunteer stated, “you volunteer many hours of your time to this program because you want to make a difference, but you don’t know if you are having an impact on your peers until you have a program like this. Listening to the participants explain why we have a need for laws makes you think that maybe we are making a difference and maybe this teenager won’t come back through the criminal justice system.”
This activity in particular prompted youth to think about the effects that their actions have on others. The audience consisted of court personnel, parents and students from various Duval County middle and high schools. The overall goal of this initiative was to bring about a healthy understanding of the need for our laws and the judicial process.
All participants received McDonald’s gift certificates and the first, second and third-place winners received a $50, $25 and $10 gift card, respectively.