Teen Court Clerk

<BODY> <H2 ALIGN=CENTER>Teen Court Q&A; with juror Nathan</H2> <P><STRONG> </STRONG></P> <P><STRONG>Q: What is your prime objective in being a juror?</STRONG> </P> <P>A: It was mainly to help people my age so they would not have an "adult" court situation. I also wanted to think about going into some kind of law career. When I went to a Civics field trip, I asked to be placed with an attorney to learn more about this type of career. Being a juror gives me lots of opportunities to see what I might like about legal work.</P> <P><STRONG>Q: How long have you been a juror? Do you enjoy it?Why?</STRONG></P> <P>A: I liked it because it has gotten me ready for my college career. I've been a juror for one year . I may take other roles sometime, but they require additional training.</P> <P>I really like the fact that the kids on a trial can be more relaxed than they would if "real" attorneys were there. It's better, because they are more likely to speak truthfully. That way jurors can make a better decision.</P> <P>In a real court case, the lawyer might have them plead innocent even if they weren't so they could workout a deal. Here the teens have already admitted guilt. They are usually grateful to be able to get a chance to wipe the arrest off their record.</P> <P><STRONG>Q: What do you enjoy most about this Teen Court program?</STRONG></P> <P>A: It's kind of exciting to know that we have that person's punishment in our hands. It's a big responsibility.</P> <P>I plan to keep teen Court work, and I hope to be an attorney some day. I like to watch Ellen. She's very organized and effective. I'm learning a lot, and I would recommend this experience to other teens.</P> <P><STRONG>Q: Was it hard to be a juror?/What things did you have to do?/What happens during a court session?</STRONG></P> <P>A: Training to be a juror wasn't hard. We go for our cases once a month on Monday nights for about 2 hours. After we hear the case, which takes about 15-20 minutes, we go back on a room and look over all the possible sentence items like paying restitution, research, community service, etc. We take a vote on each part. Then we return and the foreman reads the sentence.</P> </BODY>