AUSTIN, Texas — A "trial by a jury of your peers,' and in some cases -- your school peers.
In Pflugerville, a new program is letting local youth participate in the municipal court process.
Pflugerville "Teen Court" will allow teens to serve in various roles from juror to attorney after receiving training and instruction in the judicial process. The group will work closely with Municipal Court Judge Farren Sheehan to hear actual Class C misdemeanor cases.
So, who are the defendants?
Teens who have been given a Class C citation by Pflugerville police for examples such as class C theft, assault, possession of drug paraphernalia, alcohol or traffic violations such as speeding or running a red light.
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Instead of paying a large fine and it going on their record, they can take the case to Teen Court.
"We don't want that to be on their record. We'd like to give them a chance to have that dismissed, so there's a voluntary option. If they want to, they can decide to go to teen court," said Judge Sheehan. "They show up on a different day in front of a peer jury and they present their case, they ask their questions and the teens decide on a sentence. It's usually going to be community service, a class and perhaps the most important part, they serve on that jury and they become part of that justice system."
Sheehan said after sitting in training sessions and taking notes on Georgetown's Teen Court program, she learned there are several cities that have had successful Teen Court cases that have helped to bring citations down among teens in their communities. There's also a hope that some of the students may be inspired to pursue careers in law enforcement or the justice system.
"A lot of these kids, their only experience with the system is to come before it as a defendant, and they may walk away feeling like they didn't get a fair shake. This time, they can come in and be a part of all of it and see it from a different perspective and we hope that might encourage them to maybe change their career plans," said Sheehan. "There were some people who were concerned that it was going to be negative for the kids, but keep in mind it's completely voluntary."
Sheehan explained that every case is vetted by the municipal courts, and that any case that could be potentially embarrassing to a youth will not move onto teen court. Every case is confidential, and any student who serves on the jury must respect that. Sheehan said there are consequences in place for students who violate that trust and share a peer's case outside of Teen Court.
After their trial, the defendant will later need to return to Teen Court to then serve on the jury for a future case.
"They can kind of see how their actions affect others. They come through as a defendant and they defend themselves and they sit in the jury and they hear someone else's explanation for their behavior and they need to evaluate from society's perspective."
The City of Pflugerville is accepting applications from for ages 10 to 17 years old to serve on the 2019 Teen Court, which will consist of 25 teens.
The Teen Court will meet on the second Wednesday of each month starting on Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. Training will be held the week of Feb. 4. High school students are especially encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity.
Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.If you would like to sign up, email teencourt@pflugervilletx.gov or call 512-990-6285.
For more information about this program, click here.