Teen Court Curbing Juvenile Crime In Baltimore City
~Over 100 Juveniles Successfully Diverted~
By Janet Stidman Eveleth

A new early intervention program that offers alternative sentencing to non-violent juvenile offenders is making strides in curbing juvenile crime in Baltimore City. To date, Teen Court has successfully diverted 101 juvenile offenders from a life of crime and steered them on a more positive course. This new alternative to the juvenile justice system, supported by MSBA volunteer lawyers and judges, is making a difference in the lives of Baltimore City youth.

Today, over 180 volunteer attorneys and judges support Baltimore City’s Teen Court. In 1999, a group of these volunteers created a teen court to help young people in the city and contacted the Maryland State Bar Association’s Citizenship Law-Related Education Program in Maryland Schools (CLREP) for backing. CLREP manages Teen Court and attorney and judicial volunteers, the key to its success, support the program, training, guiding and generally assisting the youth volunteers.

When Teen Court opened its doors in Baltimore City four years ago, its goal was to reduce juvenile crime. Almost one-third of the juvenile crime in Maryland occurs in Baltimore City and most offenders are under the age of 15. Many begin as non-violent offenders and rapidly advance to violent ones. Thirty percent of juvenile non-violent offenders in the regular court system are repeat offenders on their way to becoming hardened criminals.

Now, through early intervention, many of these potential criminals – kids – are saved. Teen Court rescues first and second time non-violent juvenile offenders who are 11 to 14 years of age and have been charged with a non-violent, non-threatening crime. This innovative project, which boasts a 90 percent non-recidivism rate, diverts them from the state’s juvenile justice system into Teen Court, where they are tried by a court of their peers.

Teen Court holds the young offenders accountable for their actions. It quickly intervenes in the juvenile’s life, efficiently processes the misdemeanor offense and issues punishment immediately to address the situation. Teen Court convenes one evening every other week in a courtroom in the City’s civil District Court, with a District Court judge presiding.

Teen Court is run by a cadre of youth volunteers with the backing of the Maryland State Bar Association, CLREP, the courts, the police, educators and other community leaders in Baltimore City. It is funded by the Maryland Bar Foundation, the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention and the Crane Foundation.

“We target kids who are on the bubble, kids starting to demonstrate problem behavior,” explains the Honorable Jamey Weitzman, founder and current Chair of Teen Court. “We try to stop them and get them back on the right path. Many of these kids have a number of problems, so we respond in a holistic way. Teen Court social workers help children and their families connect with social services that will assist them with all of their problems.”

“Only youth who have committed misdemeanors are accepted,” reports CLREP Executive Director Ellery “Rick” Miller. “No felonies or weapons charges are allowed. We catch kids who are starting to act out and show dysfunctional behavior and try to keep them out of the juvenile justice system. They would likely be found delinquent in regular court. In Teen Court, as long as they complete the disposition, they won’t have a juvenile record.”

Young offenders are initially screened and referred to Teen Court by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Justice. After they volunteer to participate in this 90-day diversion program, the offenders go to a special evening Teen Court hearing. They are tried by teen “attorneys” and judged by a jury of their peers. The young offenders must admit guilt and agree to honor the disposition rendered by their peers.

These peers receive community service learning hours, now required for all city students prior to graduation, so there is a wealth of youth volunteers for attorneys, jurors and court personnel. To date, student Teen Court volunteers have earned 2,520 service learning hours. Many of these youth volunteers are recruited from MSBA-sponsored programs like Law Links, Mock Trials and law academies because they have already developed an understanding about our legal system through law-related education.

First, they undergo training and complete a full-day “CLREP” law school. They must then pass a “bar exam.” This qualifies them as “teen attorneys” so that they can try cases in Teen Court. Jurors receive more limited training. Volunteer judges and attorneys play a key role in preparing and assisting all teen volunteers.

Sanctions issued by the peer jurors resemble PBJs (probation before judgment). Examples include community service, written essays, assigned duties at PAL (Police Athletic League) and service as peer jurors for fellow offenders. In addition, juveniles must maintain good grades and school attendance, which are closely monitored. Once the disposition is satisfied, the charges are waived and the young person gets a second chance with no juvenile record. If the sanction is not honored, the young person is returned to the juvenile justice system.

Teen Court is an excellent alternative to juvenile court. It eases the substantial caseload overwhelming the juvenile justice system and greatly reduces the length of time that currently exists between the young person’s actual offense and the sentencing. Teen Court also significantly reduces expenses. It costs juvenile facilities between $50,000 to $100,000 to house and support one offender per year.

So far, Baltimore City’s Teen Court reflects a 92 percent completion rate, and 100 percent of the volunteers have remained both arrest-free and in school. Not only are the young offenders excelling, but the community is too, as Teen Court engages the support and interaction of the entire community and the legal profession. It is a pro-social experience for the youth volunteers and is the epitome of positive peer pressure.

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Publications : Bar Bulletin: September, 2003