Teen Court Foundation of St. Clair County celebrates 10 years of saving youths, 1 teen at a time
Founded by Judge (ret) Annette Eckert in 2014, Teen Court is a program of the St. Clair County Juvenile Justice Council.
Court sessions are currently held at the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education in Belleville.
Teen Court emphasizes accountability, restorative justice, and responsibility rather than traditional punitive measures. High school students from throughout St. Clair County serve as jurors who hear cases of first-time, non-violent respondents between the ages of 12-18.
The cost to the program for a respondent to enter Teen Court and successfully graduate is $375. No tax dollars are used in funding Teen court. Contributions from businesses and community members are the sole source of funding.
This expense includes a referral from the State’s Attorney office, training teen jurors, interviews with a parent and teen, appearance in Teen Court, oversight of the restorative justice remedy and successful graduation.
In contrast to the cost of $375, the cost for a teen offender to enter the juvenile justice system and begin serving their sentence in the system is more than $1,500 per month.
This year, 53 new Teen Court jurors were referred by their school administrators. The schools that referred students this year include Althoff Catholic High School, Belleville East High School, Belleville West High School, East St. Louis High School, Freeburg High School, Governor French Academy, New Athens High School, Mascoutah High School, and O’Fallon High School. Students live in St. Clair County, are in the 9th through 12th grades and are willing to work with other teens, the police and the community. Parental approval is required for the student to serve as a juror.
New jurors are required to attend training in October each year. The training includes a mock trial, the responsibilities of a juror and the rules of restorative justice. The three restorative justice rules are:
How can you hold the respondent accountable for his or her own offense?
How can you help the respondent repair the harm to all victims?
What does the respondent need to become a more productive member of the community?
In addition to the teen jurors, 15 adults volunteer to assist with Teen Court. The volunteers are assigned to accompany a respondent and parent when they first appear in Teen Court and they accompany each respondent as they return to graduate. Other volunteers greet and register the jurors, respondents and parents each month.
The 2022-2023 Annual Report and Evaluation is posted on the Foundation website – www.teencourtfoundationscc.com.
Of the 248 graduates of Teen Court in the past 10 years, only 9.7% have re-offended. These youth have a second chance to make better decisions and become successful in life. When a teen graduates from teen court they maintain a clean record because the charge has never been filed.
The parent of a recent Teen Court graduate lauded the efforts of the program, stating, “Since Teen Court, our son has been focused more on the things that are going to improve his overall outcome of being productive as he grows into a young man. His grades have improved and his attitude about succeeding in life has moved to the top of his priority list. I would like to thank each of who you who played a role in how he looks at life and how his behavior will and can be the deciding factor on how far he can make it in the world.”
The teen jurors develop leadership skills and learn about the justice system as they volunteer. Our community benefits from less crime and less in taxes to incarcerate individuals in the juvenile justice system.
When Teen Court was created in 2014, pass through federal funds supported the program until June 2017 when the funding ceased. The Teen Court Foundation of St. Clair County was created at that time to provide financial support, policies, and oversight for the County Teen Court. Funds from the Foundation support monthly Teen Court sessions where, as previously noted, peer jurors hear cases of first-time non-violent offenders between the ages of 12-18. Contributions from generous individuals, businesses and community organizations ensures that Teen Court has continued to serve the needs of youthful offenders.
Contributions in support of Teen Court can be mailed to Teen Court Foundation at 12 South 2nd Street, Belleville, IL 62220 or through PayPal at the website – ww.teencourtfoundationscc.com.
Barbara Cempura is president of the board of directors of Teen Court Foundation of St. Clair County.
