Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Teen Court gives youths second chance with jury of peers
by Contessa Crisostomo | Staff Writer
J. Adam Fenster⁄The Gazette Teen Court jurors (front row, left to right) Kaitlyn Powell, 18, of Col. Zadok Magruder High School; Emily Young, 15, of Richard Montgomery High School; Jeff Young, 16, of Richard Montgomery; and Dennes Kim, 15; and (back row, left to right) David Deng, 14; Ellen Yu, 14, of Richard Montgomery; Xinyuan Wang, 15; and Charles Pirnia, 17, of Magruder, listen to a case in the courtroom of Judge Katherine Savage. 
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For the 16-year-old girl who was caught shoplifting from a department store, sitting in Teen Court and being judged by other adolescents was a wake-up call.
As she sat before a jury comprised of high school students, tears came to her eyes when the jurors asked her how her younger sister reacted when she found out about the crime.
‘‘She was shocked,” said the girl, as she wiped tears from her eyes. ‘‘Now I guess she doesn’t look up to me anymore.”
Judge Terrence J. McGann asked the teen if she does well in school and what her plans are for the future, as he did with the three previous teenagers in court that night.
The girl said she maintains a 3.0 grade point average and wants to go to college to become a psychologist.
‘‘I’m a good person,” she told the jury. ‘‘Stealing isn’t a part of who I am. I don’t want to be known as a shoplifter.”
After deliberation, the jury assigned the teenager to 30 hours of community service and ‘‘sentenced” her to write an essay about how the Teen Court experience will help her get where she wants to be in life and complete the Youth Education about Shoplifting (YES) program.
Teen Court, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, has been offered to first-time teenage offenders in Montgomery County since 1997 when the program was started by the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
‘‘I think that it has been one of the most successful programs we’ve had here over the last 10 years,” State’s Attorney John McCarthy said.
All of the teenagers on trial in Teen Court — or ‘‘respondents” as they are called in the juvenile system — have already admitted guilt and attend Teen Court to receive their punishment.
Every respondent receives community service hours — the amount depends on the severity of the crime — and may have to serve jury duty in Teen Court.
Optional punishments may include writing an essay or apology letter or completing various programs, some conducted by police officers, that teach teens the consequences of committing crimes and what they can learn from their actions. One program takes teens on a tour of the Montgomery County Detention Center.
‘‘It was initially designed to create a diversionary program for young people who found themselves charged with crimes,” McCarthy said. ‘‘What also happened, which was unanticipated, is that it has also become a public education program for the youth in the community interested in the criminal justice program.”
The girl who shoplifted told The Gazette after her hearing that attending Teen Court was a good experience. She said that because the jury members were around her age, they can either relate to what she went through or know someone else who has.
‘‘It’s a good thing ... because it gives teens a second chance,” she said.
Her name is not being used because she was charged as a juvenile.
Charles Pirnia, a Teen Court volunteer, agreed.
‘‘Everyone makes mistakes,” he said.
The 18-year-old recent graduate of Col. Zadok Magruder High School in Derwood has been a Teen Court volunteer since his freshman year and said he started because of his interest in law.
‘‘I was in love with [Teen Court] from the beginning because it’s a way to help other people and give back to the community,” Pirnia said.
Pirnia was honored as Volunteer of the Year during the reception celebrating Teen Court’s 10th anniversary in the spring. Pirnia plans to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa and major in business. He also said he would like to go to law school.
‘‘[Teen Court] has definitely sparked an interest in [pursuing] law,” he said.
Kaitlyn Powell, 18, also a recent graduate of Magruder, started volunteering with Teen Court this year and said she continues because she feels the program is good for teens.
‘‘The program is beneficial to the community because it gives kids a second chance ... it’s another chance to not get a record,” she said.
Georgine DeBord, Teen Court coordinator, said about 60-70 teen volunteers from all over the county show up for each night of Teen Court, which is held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Volunteers receive community service hours for the time spent during Teen Court.
Teen Court operates on a peer jury method, in which the judge and members of the jury question the respondent. However, DeBord said, they will begin training teen volunteers to be prosecuting and defense attorneys this fall.
DeBord said the program boasts a 9 percent recidivism rate, meaning only 9 percent of juveniles who appear in Teen Court subsequently commit another crime.
‘‘That’s proof that the program is working,” McGann said. ‘‘That’s quite an amazing statistic.”
McGann, a Circuit Court judge who has volunteered his time to Teen Court for nearly three years, said he believes it is a rewarding program for both the volunteers and the respondents.
‘‘Out of four cases each night, if we can turn one around, it’s worthwhile,” McGann said.
to learn more
For more information, call Georgine DeBord, Teen Court coordinator, at 240-777-7344.
