News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters Teen Court is gearing up for a second busy year dispensing justice to youthful offenders.
The court, which heard 29 cases in its first year, has a docket of 14 cases referred in October. Twelve of those originated from citations to the Juvenile Empowerment Team; two were referred from the county juvenile department. The court heard its first case of the year October 13.
According to program director Kirsten Werner, the teen court proved itself a real success last year, with only two of its defendants reoffending, amounting to a 6.2 recidivism rate. That's well below the approximately 20 percent recidivism rate for conventional juvenile programs in the region.
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 that 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.
Defendants are also required to serve on juries.
"My best jurors are my past defendants, because they've been there," Werner said.
The court has also attracted a large number of volunteers.
Sisters High School student Mandy Dunn had both pragmatic and altruistic motives for volunteering.
"It looks good on a college recommendation," Dunn said. But she also "thought it was a good choice for my time, helping out other teens."
And helping teens, rather than simply punishing them, is the focus of the program.
"It's not a power thing," Dunn said. "We're not here to punish, we're here to help. We all take it very seriously. It's not fun and games."
Dunn volunteered for the program after her 14-year-old sister, Lacey, went through it first as a defendant, then as a juror.
Both judging and being judged by peers is hard on the nerves, Lacey observed.
"It's hard both ways," she said.
But, to her own surprise, she found the experience worthwhile and has stuck with it, continuing to serve beyond her required time.
"When I went into it, I thought it would be dumb and after I'd done my jury session I'd quit," Lacey said. "But after I did my jury session I thought it was pretty cool."
The experience has given Lacey a greater appreciation of the consequences of teens' actions. She said that since serving on the court, she has intervened several times to warn acquaintances not to step out of line.
Werner said that virtually all the participants in teen court - volunteers and defendants alike - have risen to the task.
"I'd love for people to be able to sit in that jury room and see the level of maturity they bring to a decision," she said.
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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