Students serve justice in "Teen Court"

As of this year Samo has become an affiliate of the L.A. Teen Court program. which allows students to volunteer as jury members in the trials of minors.The student jury only tries first time offenders being tried with misdemeanors and are also in charge of selecting appropriate consequences. O-House Principal Kelly Tabis said these punishments must be approved by a judge before they are formally initiated. According to Tabis, to become a juror a student must go through a rigorous orientation and training process. On court dates, a clerk will randomly select students to serve as the jury for the particular case.“It’s an opportunity for our kids who are given citations, but also for kids who have an interest in law or legal matters or just want to provide an opportunity to help their community,” Tabis said.In order to prevent bias, defendants who are being tried by Samo students must attend school in another city.“One of the reasons is that it needs to be somewhat confidential is that you don’t want to issue a consequence to your friend,” Tabis said.School Resource Officer Erica Aklufi said she proposed the idea of Samo joining Teen Court in order to ensure that Samo students on trial for misdemeanors have an opportunity to be tried through Teen Court in another city.“The reason why we were really excited about getting Samo involved is because they can become a part of this network of courts,” Aklufi said.According to Tabis, punishments are more resonant with students when the consequence is being presented by their peers instead of by adults.“Students learn from other students,” Tabis said. “Teens helping teens in this way may be more powerful than just hearing consequences from another adult.”According to Tabis, Teen Court needs approximately 38 to 40 jurors to attend orientation and train to be jurors. Currently, Samo has a 30 person jury pool.“My first goal would be to have a group of students who are committed to the program,” Tabis said. “[This means] that they would attend the program on a regular basis because they want to so that we get enough trained students to run the program.”According to M-House Principal Elias Miles, the Teen Court system is more constructive than a traditional court because it allows for communication and contemplation on the parts of the juror and the student in question.“It brings the curriculum to life,” Miles said. "You get to see [the judicial system] in practice. We are always looking for ways to redirect some of that negative energy around kids that are getting in trouble."Teen Court allows students to understand how the legal system works and how a case unfolds, according to Miles. It also allows Samo to intervene when students are charged with misdemeanor cases.“What Teen Court offers students who have charges pending is an opportunity not to go through the traditional legal system but to have a much more reflective approach,” Miles said. “[The jury] will be able to consider the teenage experience, which is different from just a judge slapping down a consequence.”