{"id":9866,"title":{"rendered":"Teen Court: Recommendations to the 13th Circuit Teen Court Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\nGabriella C. Perez\u200a1<\/a>\u200a<\/span><\/sup> \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n<\/a>II. Theory of Teen Courts\r\n<\/h2>\r\n

\r\nDeveloped as an alternative to the traditional juvenile court system for younger and less serious offenders, teen courts operate on the premise that the judgement of a juvenile offender\u2019s peers may have a great impact on the decision of adult authority figures. The teen court process and environment has an underlying theory of rehabilitation for the youth offender and restorative justice.\u200a5<\/a>\u200a<\/span><\/sup>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n<\/a>X. Juvenile Records\r\n<\/h2>\r\n

\r\nIn a typical youth court case, a young person arrested for a minor offense such as shoplifting or vandalism receives a sentence that is both punitive and restorative but avoids that first criminal conviction, which is a lifetime scar.<\/q><\/em>\u200a62<\/a>\u200a<\/span><\/sup> The standard practice is to measure recidivism rates in the 12 months (1 year) post completion of Teen Court. Recidivism is based on any new charges. Currently, there is no insight to juveniles\u2019 adult history to measure recidivism.\u200a85<\/a>\u200a<\/span>\u200a85\u200a<\/span>Interview with Tom Toy<\/a>, Teen Court Coordinator, 6th Circuit (2016).<\/span><\/sup>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n<\/a>Recommendation: Recidivism Rate\r\n<\/h3>\r\n

\r\nThe 13th Circuit currently measures youth offenders at both a sixth month and one year period to assess if they have any new charges or offenses.\u200a86<\/a>\u200a<\/span>\u200a86\u200a<\/span>Interview with Pam Stokes<\/a>, Court Administrator, 13th Circuit (2017).<\/span><\/sup> Recidivism is measured by any other additional offense, regardless of the disposition. For example, if a juvenile is charged but later the adjudication is withheld, or the case is sent to diversion or dismissed, the 13th Circuit calculates it into the recidivism rate.\u200a87<\/a>\u200a<\/span>\u200a87\u200a<\/span>Interview with Monica Martinez<\/a>, Court Operations Manager, 13th Circuit in Saint Petersburg, FL (2017).<\/span><\/sup> However, after that one year period, no follow up research on the youth offender\u2019s criminal history is conducted. \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nIt is important to not only measure the short-term recidivism rate but also to measure longer term, especially adult criminal history. The Teen Court program cannot be deemed effective and successful if juvenile offenders become adult offenders. The only true assessment and accurate measurement of recidivism would be to review juveniles\u2019 adult criminal history. The recommendation would be to measure this in five-year increments to determine if the youth was successful deterred from committing future crimes due to their participation in the Teen Court diversion program in addition to the one-year monitoring period. \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n<\/a>XIII. Conclusion\r\n<\/h2>\r\n

\r\nIn conclusion, there are many recommendations proposed to the current 13th Circuit Teen Court Program. Although many recommendations have been proposed, there are five straightforward recommendations to improve the 13th Circuit Teen Court Program: First, the 13th Circuit Teen Court Program should expand and incorporate new Teen Court program models into the existing program. Currently, the 13th Circuit utilizes only two of four current programming models. Second, that the 13th Circuit makes improvements to review sanctions for juvenile defendants. It is essential to get feedback from current and past juvenile participants in Teen Court to determine what sanctions were effective. Third, the 13th Circuit should make improvements to the student volunteers that participate in the program; volunteers are fundamental and crucial to the operation of Teen Courts since the volunteers determine and deliver the sanctions. A more formal training program must be created, implemented and enforced. Fourth, juveniles who participate and complete Teen Court should have their juvenile records completely dismissed and expunged. Finally, the 13th Circuit must better evaluate the effectiveness of Teen Court by measuring the recidivism rate. The 13th Circuit must determine if this diversion program is even effective; without assessing juvenile\u2019s recidivism rate, Teen Court cannot claim to be a successful diversion program. These five proposals, as well as several other proposed recommendations throughout this article, could improve the 13th Circuit Teen Court Program in Hillsborough County. \r\n<\/p>\r\n

Footnotes<\/h2>
\u200a1<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Gabriella Perez<\/a> practices in the DeWitt Law Firm\u2019s Tampa office. Ms. Perez received her Bachelor of Arts in Real Estate from the Dr. Phillips School of Real Estate at the University of Central Florida before graduating from Stetson Law, cum laude. Prior to joining DeWitt, Ms. Perez obtained her real estate license and worked for boutique and national commercial real estate firms in Tampa and Orlando, Florida. Currently as a resident of Tampa, Ms. Perez handles all matters pertaining to real property including real estate litigation, landlord-tenant disputes, foreclosure litigation and contract disputes as well as family law matters pertaining to real property. <\/div>
\u200a2<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth and Families Glossary<\/cite>, Fla. Dep't of Juvenile Justice<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a3<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Jeffrey A. Butts & Janeen Buck, Teen Court: A Focus on Research<\/cite>, Juvenile Justice Bulletin<\/a><\/span> (October 2000).<\/div>
\u200a4<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court Student Handbook<\/cite>, 13th Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>
\u200a5<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Jeffrey A. Butts & Janeen Buck, Teen Court: A Focus on Research<\/cite>, Juvenile Justice Bulletin<\/a><\/span> (October 2000).<\/div>
\u200a6<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth Court Fact and Stats<\/cite>, Nat'l Ass'n of Youth Courts<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a7<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a8<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court Defendant FAQs<\/cite>, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Hillsborough County<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a9<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Monica Martinez<\/a>, Court Operations Manager, 13th Circuit in Saint Petersburg, FL (2017).<\/div>
\u200a10<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Pam Stokes<\/a>, Court Administrator, 13th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a11<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Kathryn Varn, For Kids Seeking Second Chances, Pinellas a Better Place to be Than Hillsborough, Study Shows<\/cite>, Tampa Bay Times<\/a><\/span> (Oct. 29, 2017).<\/div>
\u200a12<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth and Families Glossary<\/cite>, Fla. Dep't of Juvenile Justice<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a13<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Pam Stokes<\/a>, Court Administrator, 13th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a14<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a15<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court Defendant FAQs<\/cite>, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Hillsborough County<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a16<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Katie Self, Former Executive Director, Sarasota Teen Court (2017).<\/div>
\u200a17<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court Defendant FAQs<\/cite>, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Hillsborough County<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a18<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Fla. Stat. Ann. \u00a7 938.19<\/a> <\/span>(2016).<\/div>
\u200a19<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Fla. Stat. Ann. \u00a7 985.16(2)(a)-(d)<\/a><\/span> (2016).<\/div>
\u200a20<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice <\/span>(2010).<\/div>
\u200a21<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth and Families Glossary<\/cite>, Fla. Dep't of Juvenile Justice<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a22<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court Student Handbook<\/cite>, 13th Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a23<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court Student Handbook<\/cite>, 13th Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a24<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Tom Toy<\/a>, Teen Court Coordinator, 6th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a25<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Fla. Stat. Ann. \u00a7 775.08<\/a> <\/span>(2017).<\/div>
\u200a26<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth Court Fact and Stats<\/cite>, Nat'l Ass'n of Youth Courts<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a27<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court Student Handbook<\/cite>, 13th Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a28<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Fla. Stat. Ann. \u00a7 775.08<\/a> <\/span>(2017).<\/div>
\u200a29<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Tom Toy<\/a>, Teen Court Coordinator, 6th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a30<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice <\/span>(2010).<\/div>
\u200a31<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court Student Handbook<\/cite>, 13th Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a32<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Pam Stokes<\/a>, Court Administrator, 13th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a33<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Tom Toy<\/a>, Teen Court Coordinator, 6th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a34<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Sarasota Teen Court Process<\/cite>, Teen Court of Sarasota<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a35<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Butts J & Buck J, Teen Court: A Focus on Research<\/cite>, Juvenile Justice Bulletin<\/a><\/span> (October 2000).<\/div>
\u200a36<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Jackie Trotta, Tampa Police Officer, Tampa Police Department (2017).<\/div>
\u200a37<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Alecia Dominguez, Deputy, Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office (2017).<\/div>
\u200a38<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Tom Toy<\/a>, Teen Court Coordinator, 6th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a39<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interagency Agreement for the Operation of The Stuart Police Department Juvenile First Offender Program<\/cite>, Dep't of Juvenile Justice<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a40<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Fla. Stat. Ann. \u00a7 985.211<\/a> <\/span>(2003).<\/div>
\u200a41<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice <\/span>(2010).<\/div>
\u200a42<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth Court Fact and Stats<\/cite>, Nat'l Ass'n of Youth Courts<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a43<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Juvenile Court Policy and Procedures<\/cite>, Twelfth Judicial Circuit<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a44<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth Court Planning Guide<\/cite>, Center for Court Innovation<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a45<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth Court Planning Guide<\/cite>, Center for Court Innovation<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a46<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a47<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Jeffrey A. Butts & Janeen Buck, Teen Court: A Focus on Research<\/cite>, Juvenile Justice Bulletin<\/a><\/span> (2000).<\/div>
\u200a48<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth Court Fact and Stats<\/cite>, Nat'l Ass'n of Youth Courts<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a49<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Jeffrey A. Butts & Janeen Buck, Teen Court: A Focus on Research<\/cite>, Juvenile Justice Bulletin<\/a><\/span> (2000).<\/div>
\u200a50<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Pam Stokes<\/a>, Court Administrator, 13th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a51<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court Student Handbook<\/cite>, 13th Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a52<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a53<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Juvenile Diversion Services<\/cite>, Sixth Judicial Circuit<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a54<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a55<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Jeffrey A. Butts & Janeen Buck, Teen Court: A Focus on Research<\/cite>, Juvenile Justice Bulletin<\/a><\/span> (2000).<\/div>
\u200a56<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Jeffrey A. Butts & Janeen Buck, Teen Court: A Focus on Research<\/cite>, Juvenile Justice Bulletin<\/a><\/span> (2000).<\/div>
\u200a57<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Juvenile Diversion Services<\/cite>, Sixth Judicial Circuit<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a58<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Tom Toy<\/a>, Teen Court Coordinator, 6th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a59<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Pam Stokes<\/a>, Court Administrator, 13th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a60<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Pam Stokes<\/a>, Court Administrator, 13th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a61<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Scholarships<\/cite>, Sarasora Teen Court<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>
\u200a62<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a63<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a64<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Offending by Juveniles<\/cite>, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a65<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth Court Fact and Stats<\/cite>, Nat'l Ass'n of Youth Courts<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a66<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Court Night<\/cite>, <\/span>Teen Court of Sarasota<\/a>.<\/div>
\u200a67<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Seal and Expunge Process<\/cite>,<\/span> Fla. Dep't of Law Enforcement<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a68<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Youth Court Fact and Stats<\/cite>, Nat'l Ass'n of Youth Courts<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a69<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Monica Martinez<\/a>, Court Operations Manager, 13th Circuit in Saint Petersburg, FL (2017).<\/div>
\u200a70<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a71<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court Student Handbook<\/cite>, 13th Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a72<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Juvenile Diversion Services<\/cite>, Sixth Judical Circuit<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a73<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a74<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Juvenile Diversion Services<\/cite>, Sixth Judical Circuit<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a75<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Juvenile Diversion Services<\/cite>, Sixth Judicial Circuit<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a76<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Juvenile Diversion Services<\/cite>, Sixth Judicial Circuit<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a77<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Juvenile Diversion Services<\/cite>, Sixth Judicial Circuit<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a78<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Kathryn Varn, For Kids Seeking Second Chances, Pinellas a Better Place to be Than Hillsborough, Study Shows<\/cite>, Tampa Bay Times<\/a><\/span> (Oct. 29, 2017).<\/div>
\u200a79<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a80<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Kathryn Varn, For Kids Seeking Second Chances, Pinellas a Better Place to be Than Hillsborough, Study Shows<\/cite>, Tampa Bay Times<\/a><\/span> (Oct. 29, 2017).<\/div>
\u200a81<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Irene H. Sullivan, Raised by the Courts: One Judge\u2019s Insight Into Juvenile Justice<\/span> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a82<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Jeffrey A. Butts & Janeen Buck, Teen Court: A Focus on Research<\/cite>, Juvenile Justice Bulletin<\/a><\/span> (October 2000).<\/div>
\u200a83<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Katie Self<\/a>, Executive Director, Sarasota Teen Court, in Sarasota, FL (2016).<\/div>
\u200a84<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Teen Court<\/cite>, Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>
\u200a85<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Tom Toy<\/a>, Teen Court Coordinator, 6th Circuit (2016).<\/div>
\u200a86<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Pam Stokes<\/a>, Court Administrator, 13th Circuit (2017).<\/div>
\u200a87<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Interview with Monica Martinez<\/a>, Court Operations Manager, 13th Circuit in Saint Petersburg, FL (2017).<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gabriella C. Perez<\/p>\n","protected":false},"meta":{"_citation":"7 Stetson J. Advoc. & L. 300 (2020)","_first_para":300,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-24"]}