PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lori Sitler 
Phone: (302) 577-8314 
Pager: (302) 247-1132 
Date: September 12, 2002 

NATIONAL YOUTH COURT MONTH OBSERVED IN DELAWARE 

Local Teen Courts in Dover and Georgetown will participate


(Dover, DE): National Youth Court month is being observed this month in hundreds of communities that host teen court programs, including towns in Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware. Delaware Teen Court, Inc. in Dover became operational in late 1998 through the efforts of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and the Attorney General's office. In Georgetown, the Sussex Teen Court has been operating for nearly one year with the help of the Auxiliary and the Attorney General's office. Both programs are non-profit agencies with local Boards of Directors. 

In Delaware, the Teen Court programs were formed as a diversion program from Family Court for first-time juvenile offenders charged with misdemeanor, non-violent crimes. Juveniles voluntarily agree to participate in the diversion option and must plead guilty to the charges for which they were arrested. A jury, made up of previous offenders who are "sentenced" to jury duty, and other teenage volunteers from the community, hears the details of the case from victims, other witnesses and teens acting as prosecutor and defense attorney and decides on a sentence for the offender. Referrals to both Teen Court programs are made through the Attorney General's office. 

The Teen Courts are highly effective. Since its inception in 1998, the Delaware Teen Court in Kent County reports an 11% re-offense rate. In the newer, Sussex Teen Court program, the rate is less than 7%. Attorney General M. Jane Brady commented, "This is a unique educational experience for young people to learn to make better decisions about their lives and to understand there are consequences to each decision they make. I am very pleased with the success of the program and applaud the Auxiliary, the courts, the volunteers and my staff for their effort."

According to the National Youth Court Center, youth courts are one of the fastest growing crime intervention programs in the nation, "Youth courts offer ways to engage the community in a partnership with the juvenile justice system to respond to juvenile crime and problem behavior. By increasing the awareness of delinquency issues on a local level, community members and youth are mobilized to take an active role in addressing the problem." National Center statistics show that in 1994, there were 78 youth courts operational in America. Currently, there are more than 850 youth court programs operating in district-level juvenile justice systems, schools and community-based organizations in 46 states and the District of Columbia.

In addition to holding juvenile offenders accountable and educating them about the legal system, the Teen Courts also provide youth in the community with an avenue for developing, enhancing and practicing life skills. The program allows youth from the community to assume responsibility and leadership roles and to actively participate in addressing juvenile crime in their communities. Teen volunteers number 120 in the Kent County program and 60 in the Sussex County program. 

Members of the media and the public to attend, observe, and learn more about the program on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 at the following locations:

Kent County Family Court, Dover, at 6 pm. 
Sussex County Family Court, The Circle at 5:30 pm 
Youth volunteers, Board members and the program coordinators will be available that evening to discuss the program. For more information about the Delaware Teen Court in Kent County, contact Angela Richardson, Program Coordinator at 698-3264. For the Sussex Teen Court, contact Sharon Simpkiss, Program Coordinator at 856-9810.



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