Teen Court
Teen Court is
coordinated by NICASA (Northern Illinois Council Against Substance Abuse) in conjunction
with the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Police Departments
 Teen court is a volunteer program which allows a juvenile misdemeanor offender an
alternative to the traditional criminal justice system. The primary goal of Teen Court is
to better enable young people to accept responsibility for their offense through active
participation in an alternative court process. By assuming responsibility for his/her own
actions, and through involvement in Teen Court, the teen's offense will not be recorded.
A teen offender will be brought to a jury of peers who will "try" the case
and issue a sentence". The "sentence" will be in the number of community
service hours to be performed and participation in an educational program.
The Teen Court Program operates under the auspices of the local police department which
is designed to provide a meaningful and remedial method of dealing with selected juvenile
offenders without reference to the Juvenile Court. It does not determine guilt or
innocence. A case is only sent to the Teen Court for hearing by a jury of six juveniles
and an adult moderator when (1) the offender admits having committed the offense; (2) the
responsible police officer determines that such a disposition is appropriate; and (3) the
offender and his/her parent or guardian consent in writing to such a disposition and sign
a Waiver of Liability and Confidentiality.
When these conditions are met, the offender and his/her parent or guardian are
scheduled for a hearing before a Teen Court panel at City Hall at a definite date and
time. At the hearing, a teen attorney reads the charges, states the possible sentence if
the offense were committed by an adult, and summarizes the facts of the case. The offender
is then questioned by the members of the panel. The offender and his/her parent or
guardian then withdraw while the jury deliberates and fixes an appropriate punishment. The
sentence usually includes some form of individualized community service and participation
in an educational program.
The offender and his/her parent or guardian are then recalled and informed of the
sentence. Adjustments, if necessary, are made to allow for schedule conflicts and a
completion date fixed. The offender is then given a written copy of the sentence and a
date (usually 30 days later) for a discharge hearing.
The offender then performs the assigned tasks. The performance is monitored by the Teen
Court Coordinator who is available to the offender in case any problems arise and may
contact the offender if necessary.
Upon completion of community service, a report on the offender's performance is
forwarded to the Teen Court Coordinator by the offender's supervisor for the service
project and any other assigned projects are turned in to the coordinator.
At the discharge hearing, the offender and his/her parent or guardian again appear. The
panel, which may or may not be the sentencing panel, reviews the offender's performance
and questions the offender about his/her experiences while performing the sentence. If
satisfactory, the offender is discharged. If the performance is incomplete or
unsatisfactory, the discharge hearing may be continued or the offender remanded to the
youth officer for appropriate court proceedings.
Who is referred to the program? Teens who appear before their peers in
Teen Court will be referred by a youth officer as part of the station adjustment process.
Participation in the program is voluntary and is based on admission of guilt. Some other
factors that determine eligibility are:
- Teens must be 13 through 16 years of age at the time of commission of a misdemeanor
offense. 17 years of age if the violation is curfew.
- Parental consent for participation in the program is required.
- Teens are allowed to participate in Teen Court only once. Violations arising out of the
same incident are treated as one case.
- Participants must be first time offenders.
- Teens must live in Lake Forest/Lake Bluff/Knollwood.
- Teens must be willing to make restitution, if applicable.
How is the program designed? Once a teen has met all the eligibility
requirements and has opted to go through Teen Court, the following occurs:
- Teen Court meets once a month.
- The charges of the defendant are presented before the jury.
- The jury questions the defendant about the incident.
- After deliberating, the teen jury issues a "sentence" for the defendant.
- If a teen defendant does not complete the requirements of Teen Court, they will be
referred back to the police agency for further proceedings.
In keeping with the goal of instilling accountability and responsibility, the
"sentence" handed down will consist of community service and an educational
program. Teen defendants will be given a return date and on that return date verification
of completion of the sentence must be presented to the jury.
ANSWERS TO SOME QUESTIONS
Will any of my child's friends be on a Teen
Court at which my child is the offender? No! A list of the offenders appearing is
given to all prospective jurors, and they disqualify themselves from any case in which
they know or could know the offender.
What kind of sentences are imposed? Typically,
the sentence involves the performance of a certain number of hours of community service at
an agency within the area selected with the needs of the offender in mind. Sentences may
also include projects and reports related to the offense.
Will anyone outside the police department and the
Teen Court group know my child is serving a sentence? Except for the supervisor at the
community service agency, absolutely not! At the community service site, offenders are
identified only as volunteer workers. The Teen Court proceedings and records are
absolutely confidential. A suspected violation of confidentiality results in dismissal
from the program. No list of offenders appearing before the jury is published, and the
press is not permitted to report individual cases.
How are Teen Court personnel selected? The
appointing authority for all Teen Court personnel is the Chief of Police. Adult panel
moderators and the Teen Court Coordinator are individuals of good standing in the
community who are selected on the basis of appropriate investigation and interviews by
both police and Teen Court personnel. Peer jurors are recruited through advertisement,
followed by the submission of an application and extensive interviews.
After selection all personnel are provided with
training and orientation before assuming their duties. After a suitable period, a former
offender who satisfactorily completed a sentence may be invited to become a Peer Juror.
Such individuals make a unique contribution to the process.
What's the attitude toward offenders? All
offenders appearing before the Teen Court are treated with dignity and respect; demeaning
and belittling attitudes and comments will not be tolerated. The object of the program is
to develop a sense of responsibility and accountability in the offender.
Program Objective:
To help the child
and family deal with a problem situation.
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