Jurors's Role in Teen Court
General Overview
Teen Court conducts two hearings each Tuesday evening. After being greeted by Teen Court staff you will be asked to sit in a certain order to divide all volunteers into separate juries for each hearing.
- Before the hearing begins, the defendant (person charged with a crime) will be introduced to you. This is to determine if anyone on the jury knows the defendant or if the defendant is acquainted with anyone on the jury. If you are acquainted with the defendant, it is important that you raise your hand. This will allow us to place you on another jury. It is extremely important that the defendant have a fair and impartial jury for the sentencing hearing.
- The first jury will be instructed to sit in the jury box. It is important that you maintain proper courtroom decorum (behavior) because you are now one of the most important people in the Teen Court process.
- When the hearing is about to begin, the judge will "swear you in" and tell you to listen to the facts that you are about to hear. The attorneys will then begin their opening statements.
- It is your job to carefully listen to the judge's instructions. You are to base your decision on the evidence you hear as the teen prosecution and defense attorneys question the defendant. These cases are a serious matter and should be carefully decided. As you listen to the evidence it is your job to consider if the defendant is remorseful (sorry) for his actions, the age and maturity of the defendant, the seriousness of the crime, whether the defendant acted willfully, whether there was a loss to the victim and whether there were punishments imposed by the defendant's parents/guardians.
It is not your job to decide whether the defendant is guilty or innocent. Your job is to decide on a sentence that is fair and just after listening to the testimony.
- You are required to decide how many community service hours the defendant must serve with the following guidelines:
- Misdemeanor Charge: minimum of eight (8); maximum fifty (50) hours
- Felony Charge: minimum of thirty-five (35) hours; maximum of one-hundred (100) hours
- You are required to decide how many jury duties a defendant must serve with the following guidelines:
- Misdemeanor: minimum of one (1) jury duty; maximum of six (6) jury duties
- Felony- minimum of four (4) jury duties; maximum of ten (10) jury duties.
- Aside from the required sanctions, you may impose additional sanctions that would benefit the defendant such as:
- Letters of apology
- Essays
- Educational classes