Agenda - 12-16-1997 - 10e - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Report on the Teen Court Pry 10' Written evidence relevant to the case may also be introduced. At the conclusion of evidence, the attorneys present closing arguments and sentence recommendations to the jury, which generally comprises four to eight members. Since the offender admits guilt, the jury's duty ' during.deliberations is to arrive at a unanimous verdict on a "Constructive Sentence." In the event the jury is unable to reach a unanimous decision on one or more portions of the sentence, the judge decides the punishment for that item, within the minimum and maximum range in which the jury was unable to compromise. Juveniles who accept the decision of Teen Court (see description of appeal process, below) must complete all requirements within four months. One fourth of the total community service and restitution amounts must be completed each month. Cases are reviewed at least monthly for compliance, but the burden is on the juveniles to document their compliance (e.g., juveniles are required to present proof of community service work or school attendance). Upon sentence completion, the Coordinator reports the case closed to the District Attorney. Those cases in which juveniles fail to comply with the terms of the sentence are returned to the district attorney's office for prosecution, and the underlying offense is adjudicated de novo. Juveniles who do not wish to accept the decision of the teen court jury may file an appeal with the juvenile clerk within five working days. The juvenile and parent/guardian appear before the juvenile clerk the day following filing of the appeal and are served with a copy of the juvenile petition and summons. The preliminary juvenile court appearance is set . for the next available juvenile court date. Neither the juvenile's written admission for Teen Court nor the jury's sentence is admissible, and no reference is made to Teen Court in any subsequent proceeding. e�. Durham County. The Teen Court program in Durham County accepts referrals from juvenile intake, law enforcement,juvenile court, the district attorney, and school administrators. Juveniles referred to Teen Court are generally first-time offenders in middle school or high school. If the Coordinator feels that the case might be appropriate for Teen Court, he contacts and arranges to meet with the juvenile. During this meeting, the juvenile is interviewed, and the Coordinator determines whether the case is appropriate for Teen Court. If so, the juvenile may choose to voluntarily admit responsibility for the offense and submit it to Teen Court. If the juvenile and parent/guardian choose this option, they are provided with R more information about the responsibilities and requirements of the program. The Coordinator then sets the case for a hearing, and assigns attorneys for the case. Prior to the hearing date, offenders meet with the peer attorneys at a Saturday workshop session, at which adult volunteer attorneys are present to assist and advise. The case is prepared at this time, and a brief "dry run" is held for each case, during which the attorneys have the opportunity to improve their skills and the offender has an opportunity to become ` more familiar with the conduct of and expectations for the Teen Court proceeding. The juvenile and parent/guardian appear for court as scheduled. When the case is called, the juvenile is sworn in, tells what happened, and answers questions asked by the