Mrs. Lolita Junk, the Teen Court Coordinator is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, Galesburg, Illinois and works with children and youth. She was concerned with the growing epidemic of juvenile crime and violence in our community and our state. She wanted to find a more positive and effective alternative to the increasingly inadequate and ineffective juvenile system. In overburdened juvenile courts, many children and young people, who might otherwise be saved, were falling through the cracks. She set out find a system that would help these teenagers. That program is Teen Court. Teen Court originated in Odessa, Texas 15 years ago. The success of the program has also been repeated in over 400 communities in the nation. In the fall of 1993 Mrs. Junk referred the plan to the Galesburg, Illinois Ralph M. Noble Unit #285 American Legion Auxiliary. The members unanimously approved the program and appointed a Steering Committee to explain the Teen Court program to the community. November 17th, 1994 a meeting was held in the Knox County Court House to determine community interest and support of the program. Representatives from 26 different agencies and groups were present and suggested that Teen Court be implemented and voiced approval to proceed with the development of the Teen Court Diversion Program. A 15 member Advisory Board was formed and September 11, 1995 the first Teen Court trials were held. Special credit must be given to the officers of the Teen Court Board of Directors - Joan Baker, chairman; Steve Watts, 1st vice chair; Jackie Sexton, secretary; Lorraine Haraldson, treasurer. They have been, and continue to be, involved in Teen Court on a daily basis. The entire community has responded by donating time, supplies, brochures, and money to our program. Teen Court was also given carpet, telephones, brochures, desks, chairs, file cabinets and other "in kind" donations from local individuals and businesses. The greatest contributions received were free office space at Galesburg City Hall and free use of the Knox County Court House for all training meetings and trials. "Teen Court was established to add a new concept of diversion and accountability to our Juvenile Justice system. It is directed toward youth misdemeanor offenders," Junk said. The project involves the creation of a teen jury system that will bring together youth offenders, their peers, and community agencies to determine logical and appropriate consequences for the offenses. There are 150 students from five Knox County Schools specially trained by local attorneys to serve as clerks, bailiffs, jurors, and prosecuting and defense attorneys. All teens who participate sign a confidentiality oath. Participation in Teen Court provides volunteers and defendants a valuable civics lesson and an understanding of the courts and justice system. The purpose of the program is to get young people to take responsibility for their actions, provide restitution to the victims and the community and give everyone an active role in solving juvenile crime. Junk noted that "Teen Court places more responsibility on the defendant than regular Juvenile Court." To be eligible for Teen Court the youth must be between 10 and 18 years of age, be a first time offender and plead guilty to the misdemeanor offense. Parents or guardian must give permission to participate and must agree to accompany their youth 3 times during the program. The program promotes positive feelings of self-esteem, motivation, self-improvement, and a healthy attitude towards authority. The program is totally voluntary. When a defendant successfully completes his sentence there will be no offense record. A request is sent to the referring agency to dismiss the charges filed against the youth. "The Teen Court program has yielded extremely positive results in our community. The young offenders, their parents, the victims of crime, members of the community, adult and teenage volunteers and the juvenile authorities are all working together and taking an active role in creating better, long-lasting solutions to previously unsolveable problems," Junk said. Teen Court deserves to be a juvenile diversion program in all areas of the nation. Its benefits have proved invaluable in every community where it has been implemented. Teen Court Coordinator Job Description Teen Court Administrative Assistant Job Description