KOSCIUSKO — Kosciusko Cares Youth Services is launching another year of peer-led teen court services for youth in Kosciusko County.  Teen Court has a new cadre of Teen Court Members – those who operate the Teen Court and serve in leadership roles in Teen Court hearings.

Teen Court Members apply and receive training in teen court procedure, principles of restorative justice, roles of the prosecutor and defense attorney, bailiff, and court clerk.  They learn how to prepare a case for a Teen Court hearing, learn about public speaking and speaking confidently during a hearing, practice these skills and complete a Teen Court Bar Exam. These 12 new teen court members will serve throughout the 2018-2019 school year. It’s anticipated they will hear approximately 80 cases during their tenure and each teen court member will provide more than 120 hours of volunteer service for the community. 

The teen court also has a volunteer adult judge, a local attorney, John Barrett, who acts as an enthusiastic coach for the teen court members, assists them with procedure and protocol, is stern and compassionate toward participants and has also provided well over 100 hours of volunteer service to the community since last December.  

Teen court is a restorative justice program for juveniles involved in first-time offenses. The restorative justice model takes a balanced look at the way in which relationships between the participant, the victim, the family, peers and community have been harmed and how best to repair that harm. It requires that each participant take responsibility for their actions and work to restore balance to those relationships. The teen court program offers participants opportunities to develop new skills, so they can make better decisions, and also holds them accountable for their actions.  

Over the past nine months, teen court has received over 120 referrals from Kosciusko Juvenile Probation. The top offenses seen in teen court are truancy, fighting, alcohol and marijuana use, operating a vehicle without a license,and running away.  Teen Court members play a critical role in the program. 

“We are very excited to have twelve high school students from area schools this year who are interested in learning more about the law and helping their peers. We look forward to a productive year,” stated Marsha Carey, teen court coordinator.