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Report on the Teen Court Programs <br /> b <br /> lieu of the traditional methods of diversion, adjudication, and suspension,.expulsion, or <br /> alternative school placement. The intent of the teen court process is to offer juveniles <br /> consequences that allow them to take responsibility for their actions in a beneficial, educational <br /> manner. The teen court process involves positive peer pressure by having a teen's peers serve <br /> as prosecutor, defense counsel, and ultimate judge of the offender's actions. The underlying }?` <br /> philosophy is that an offender's peers can more effectively develop appropriate and effective <br /> ways of redirecting the offender's behavior and attitudes. Thus, it is believed that <br /> participating in the teen court process helps build the teen's sense of pride and responsibility, <br /> and may help to prevent community and school misbehavior and future illegal behavior. <br /> Buncombe County. The purposes of Teen Court in Buncombe County are to require p <br /> young people to take responsibility for their actions, to provide restitution to the victims and <br /> the community, and to allow the community an active role in addressing juvenile crime. It is <br /> designed to provide a community-based alternative to the formal court process for youthful <br /> offenders. The program embraces a youth development approach in that it attempts to address <br /> the conditions that underlie and contribute to unlawful behavior by providing youth with <br /> avenues for positive development and personal success. It also embraces an accountability <br /> approach that encourages a sense of responsibility on the part of the juveniles and the <br /> community. Thus, offenders are not only held responsible for unlawful acts by the application <br /> of logical and consistent consequences, but are also held accountable to the community for that <br /> behavior by the involvement of the community in the teen court process. Accountability <br /> extends not only to traditional adult review of their conduct, but also to scrutiny and evaluation <br /> of their behavior by their peers. The program also educates youth about the criminal justice <br /> system and illustrates to them the need for citizens to participate in addressing the problems <br /> and needs of the community. Use of the teen court alternative also permits redirection of the <br /> available juvenile court time and resources to focus on more dangerous juvenile offenders. In <br /> addition, it is hoped that these approaches will reduce the likelihood of juveniles re-offending <br /> and minimize negative labeling of referred youth. <br /> Durham County. The Teen Court program in Durham County was developed to offer '? <br /> Durham's students in middle school and high school a "hands-on" experiential opportunity to <br /> participate in an alternative system of justice. The underlying premise of the program is that <br /> peer pressure to "do the right thing" offers a more meaningful and effective approach than <br /> traditional court procedures to alter juveniles' negative and unlawful behavior. This program <br /> is viewed as a preventive effort to stem the rising number of juveniles who are involved in <br /> delinquent behavior. It is believed that the teen court process requires juvenile offenders to <br /> accept responsibility for their actions, and, that through future jury duty service, these <br /> juveniles apply their experience to promote responsibility and respect for others. Teen Court <br /> also allows participants -- both offenders and non-offender volunteers -- to become more <br /> familiar with the judicial system. <br />