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Hancock County State’s Attorney Aims to Reinstate Teen Court

TSPR'S Rich Egger

Teenagers accused of breaking the law in Hancock County might be able to have their record wiped clean.

State’s Attorney Jason Pohren said a conviction can hurt a teen’s chances of getting into the military, receiving scholarships or financial aid. So he is working to bring back the teen court program that’s been on hiatus for about a year.

Those who face select misdemeanor charges are eligible for the program. Pohren also wants to expand the program to include traffic offenses, which can increase insurance rates. He expects there to be a lot of interest in that offering.

“Typically, what they do is have a trial, but it’s in front of their peers,” Pohren said of the teen court program.

“They’ve already pled guilty and they’ve already admitted to the offense. Then their peers are able to punish them as they see fit, but it doesn’t result in a conviction on their record.”

The jurors are former defendants of teen court. High school students interested in gaining experience in law enforcement are able to volunteer to play the role of state’s attorney and defense attorney in teen court.

For a teen to qualify to go through teen court they need to get signatures from the arresting officer, the highest ranking law enforcement person in the district, and the school’s principal or superintendent.

“That’s to ensure we are sending the right kids through the teen court program, people who are unlikely to get convicted again of anything,” Pohren said. “If they have a reputation for being involved in criminal activity but we just haven’t caught them yet, those are kids that are unlikely to be involved in the program.”

Pohren said the teens still pay fees. Half of the money goes into funding the teen court program and the other half is divided equally among the area high school’s after prom committees.

He said typically the teens are ordered to complete community service. But the jury can get creative with the punishment. For example, it could revoke the defendant’s phone use or ability to attend prom.

“I’m always amazed by how thoughtful the new ways are that they come up with to punish their peers. Things I would have never thought about. One of the things that is great about the program is that they can step outside the box and they can give a lot of different punishments that I can’t even give,” Pohren said.

Pohren said the criminal case can be reinstated if a defendant does not comply with the requirements of teen court.

Emily Boyer is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.