Sitting in the courtroom, the defen-dant waits as seven of his peers decide his fate. The question isn’t one of innocence — he has already admitted his guilt. The jury returns with a verdict: 15 hours of community service and a letter to his victim apologizing for vandalism. Sound like an everyday courtroom? It isn’t. The defendant in this case is a student, and the jury is made up of others close to his own age. And for the cases of adolescents accused of minor crimes, Flathead County’s new peer court program is the perfect solution. After years of being judged by people far older than they are, kids are getting some ability to discipline their own peers. In a new system set up for first-time teenage offenders, students have an opportunity to be tried in a court composed entirely of other teenagers. Lawyers, clerks, judges and jury members all are students who volunteer their time to try their peers. The trial is conducted like a regular court, but the defense and prosecution argue only for the severity of a student’s punishment. And who better to decide the consequences of students’ actions than students themselves? Often, a court is made up of people who are two or three times as old as the teenagers being tried. Adults are guaranteed the opportunity of a trial by a jury of their peers. Students deserve the same opportunity. Judges were children once, but over the years, they may have forgotten what motivates kids, and the pressures kids feel. We can’t expect a judge to always know the most appropriate decision for every case, for all ages of offenders. The program also gives experience to students who participate in it. It gives them a better understanding of what it is like to be a jury member, and gives insight into criminal justice system for those who want to have a career in it. Or those who will be subject to it. It is also good for students to see that their peers don’t forgive them for all their crimes. In high school, it is ignored by many students when their peers steal or commit vandalism. Most offenders have little fear of being turned in by fellow students. Maybe now, kids will see that their peers don’t respect their misbehavior either. Peer court also gives students a second chance without fear that their crime will follow them for years. If a teen goes through peer court and serves his or her sentence, the charge is recorded as dismissed and doesn’t go on the teenager’s record. At first, the court will only be able to decide the sentence of the offenders. However, after the program has gained a track record in the area of punishment, organizers hope that the court will have the chance to decide innocence or guilt, instead of just punishment. Hopefully, the court will get the chance. Whatever the final duties of peer court, teens could use a chance to take more control over the behavior of their peers. Right now, we are forced to watch powerlessly as adults not only set up our laws and arrest us, but punish our crimes as well.. |
