How long have you been involved as a Teen Court volunteer and what are some of the roles you have played?   I first came to Teen Court in the beginning of 1994 as a juror. In the fall of 1994, I became an attorney. Ever since then. I have served as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. I have also served as a clerk once or twice; however, our court does not have a regular clerk yet. What type of training do you do to develop your skills for Teen Court? In order to be an attorney, you need to have been a juror twice and attend an attorney training session. In the past the attorney trainings have just been a couple of hours in the evening. On the 16th of July, we are having an all-day training course introducing new attorneys and re-training the old ones. We are also introducing objections to our attorneys. What do you feel are the benefits to the community? First of all, I feel it gives a second chance to the defendants. Most of the defendants are truly sorry for what they have done. I feel it also is good for the community because as far as I know there is a very low rate of second offenders. What are the benefits to the volunteers for Teen Court? There are many benefits. The jurors can get community service hours for there volunteering. The reason why I volunteer is because I like the experience, and also I believe that helping the community is very important. What do you feel is the strongest reason that other communities should start a similar program? I think the strongest reason that communities should start a Teen Court is the fact that it gives young people first-hand experience with the American justice system. Being a juror or an attorney in an actual case is awesome!!!   Thad Reddick Plano, Texas Teen Court