News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Facing a real jury of their peers seems to do Sisters' teen offenders a world of good. According to Juvenile Empowerment Team (JET) coordinator Kirsten Werner, the first year of Sisters' Teen Court has been a success.
"I've seen a lot of growth among many youth in the community," Werner told the Sisters City Council at their meeting June 12.
That growth doesn't just happen for teens who go before the court. Werner said 50 youths either volunteered or were required to serve as jury members, court officers or advocates, and virtually all of them benefited from the experience.
Teens who are cited into the JET program for first offenses such as possession of alcohol, criminal mischief, or some theft charges have the option of facing the Teen Court or being sent to the county Juvenile Justice Department. Those who choose Teen Court face a judge and a jury of other teens who query them about the nature and the impact of their offense.
Sentences often include community service, apologies to victims, essays on the consequences of breaking the law and restitution.
The court is bound by strict rules of confidentiality, which observers are sworn to abide by.
The court has heard 29 cases, and 15 offenders have completed their cases. Werner said that two teens had offended again, which puts the program's recidivism rate at 6.2 percent. That is well below the approximately 20 percent recidivism rate for conventional juvenile justice programs.
While those numbers are encouraging, Werner noted that the long-term impact of the program can't be gauged yet.
"We haven't heard a lot of cases, so it'll be a few years before we have hard figures," she said.
It looks like the program will have a chance to prove itself for the long haul. Werner told the council that the state Commission on Children and Families has earmarked $44,000 for Sisters and La Pine juvenile diversion programs.
Those funds are welcomed; the Sisters diversion program is growing with the community. The Juvenile Empowerment Team, which operates the court, has handled 64 youth offenders so far this year; the program had 69 cases in all of 1996.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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