Mock Trial
As a board member of Communities In Schools of Marion County, this past week I attended my one and (I hope) only Marion County Youth Court. It was a mock trial, to give participants a chance to see how a real court would work.
It isn't a court in a traditional sense. The junior high and high school students don't address issues of guilt or innocence. They help determine appropriate punishment.
Other students serve as "prosecutors" and "defenders" to provide important information to the jurors.
Youths given the option of facing youth court generally will be facing first-time misdemeanors — shoplifting, or possession of tobacco or alcohol.
It's not automatic. The official legal system and the family has to agree before it happens.
At the mock trial, the scenario was that a juvenile had been found to have a bottle of vodka in his room. When confronted by his father, a fight ensued.
In their comments, the prosecutor tried to show the young man had not expressed remorse or accepted responsibility for his action. The defender emphasized that he had apologized and admitted he was wrong.
After the prosecutor and defender make their final remarks, jurors get to ask questions of witnesses. The judge, an adult attorney, can ask questions, too.
After deliberations, the jurors (there were four juries for the mock trial) came back with good options. Most recommended anger management and drug counseling for the young man. They also set specific curfews and ordered him to improve grades.
One jury ordered him to cooperate with law officers in identifying the source of alcohol. Another ordered him to bring his friends home and introduce them to his parents.
By the way, the jurors aren't all perfect 4.0 students. In real youth court, many sentences will include the requirement that the offender serve on future juries.
In real youth court, the juvenile sentenced would have to agree to the terms or return to the traditional legal system. There are some guidelines. No one facing youth court is going to be sentenced to Leavenworth. But generally, what the jurors say won't be overturned.
All the youths involved did a great job. If real youth court functions like it did during the mock trial, we can be confident this is a wise addition to our legal system in Marion County.
— MATT NEWHOUSE
