THE 20TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF FLORIDA

Teen Court Coordinator Gloria Oliva (center) with volunteers Lori Connor and Dineesha Edwards.

The Twentieth Judicial Circuit’s Teen Court Program is completing its fifteenth year of operation. The primary purpose of the program is to expedite the cases of first time misdemeanor juvenile offenders in order to allow the Court more time to address crimes of a more serious nature. Typical cases might include: shoplifting, vandalism, possession of alcohol, trespassing, petit theft, disorderly conduct and interference in a school function. All cases referred to the Teen Court must be referred by the Department of Juvenile Justice and must be approved by the State Attorney’s Office.

The goal of the Teen Court Program is to hold juvenile offenders accountable for their actions while preventing a criminal conviction from occurring. Successful completion of the program usually results in no further action being taken and the case being closed. The defendants must acknowledge their actions and accept the sanctions decided by the teen jury and imposed by the court. Teen Court is comprised of adult and juvenile volunteers. Adults from the legal or court community assist the Teen Court Coordinator and provide support and feedback to the youth volunteers. Attorneys and Judges take the bench to preside over the hearings. The teen volunteers are recruited from local high schools or were one-time defendants in the program. Defendants who have completed the program are recruited, or have been sentenced, to sit on the Teen Court jury. Additionally, successful youth act as prosecutor and defense counsel. This process of entering the program at the ground level and as a defendant and “climbing” step by step to the “rooftop” as an experienced juror, is referred to as “Accountability Building” Personal responsibility is an important concept in the philosophy of the program according to Gloria Oliva, Teen Court Coordinator: “We believe that those who make the climb to the top of the ‘Accountability Building’ experience a change of attitude. Ideally, these you people come to understand that living within the law or violating it, getting a good education or not, having a successful future or failing to find suitable employment all depends on the decisions you make.”

As the fifteenth year nears it end almost 1000 kids have participated in the program. It has an 88% completion rate. Effective diversion of these first time offenders away from the juvenile justice system better utilized the court’s resources, as well as, provides a unique and innovative mechanism for your people to demonstrate to society their capacity for self-government and responsible citizenship.

For more information about the Teen Court Program contact Gloria Oliva at 239-533-2840 or email at GOliva@ca.cjis20.org