Teen Court successes outweigh the challenges for Comanche County youths

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  • Southwest Ledger photo by Curtis Awbrey Comanche County Teen Court Executive Director Marcia Frazier reviews the caseload for the weekly juvenile docket. Mrs. Frazier has been with Teen Court for more than 20 years and has seen many at-risk youths succeed through the Teen Court’s education programs.
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LAWTON- To learn about, and be a part of, the judicial system, several junior high and high school students volunteer for Comanche County’s Teen Court each year.

Currently, there are 25 trained junior high and high school students who have volunteered to become jurors and lawyers for the program. Teen Court Executive Director Marcia Frazier is looking to train another 25 this school year. As high school students get jobs and start driving, the volunteers are unable to attend, she said. A former volunteer, State Representative Daniel Pae, was recently asked about his involvement with the program. He served as a former Teen Court defense attorney.

“My senior year at Lawton High, I went there one day and really liked the fact that you could be the prosecutor, defense attorney or the jury on real cases.” An eye-opening experience, Pae explained that by volunteering for the program, not only did he learn courtroom etiquette, he believes he became more empathetic after meeting with teen clients.

TEEN COURT HISTORY

To reduce the caseload of juvenile first offenders in Comanche County courtrooms, Associate District Judge Chad Bledsoe started Teen Court in 1991. When Ms. Frazier came on board five years later, the program was processing between 200 and 250 cases per year. Now 23 years later, Teen Court boasts a 92% success rate and handles about 120-130 cases annually. Maintaining the program’s funding, promoting program awareness as well as handling volunteerism and training schedules may take a lot of time and energy, but Ms. Frazier is proud to see the kids do well for themselves. Several Teen Court volunteers have gone on to be attorneys, and most offenders who have gone through the program have turned their lives around, she said.

POSITIVE PEER PRESSURE

But the executive director doesn’t take credit for Teen Court’s success. “The success of the program is positive peer pressure,” she stresses. “An adult presides over the bench, but the kids run the courtroom. Volunteers are all recruited from the schools and trained in the judicial system and in deliberation to be teen attorneys.” Ultimately, Teen Court is rated on recidivism – the number of repeat offenders. Ms. Frazier explains that students who are still in school at ages 18-21 may be eligible for Teen Court. “I have to reiterate, we do not handle felonies, only misdemeanors, and only first-time juvenile offenders,” she said.

COMANCHE COUNTY JUVENILE BUREAU

When a juvenile is arrested for their first misdemeanor, Comanche County Juve- nile Bureau initially does the intake; makes a referral to the district attorney’s office, where the case is reviewed along with recommendations from the intake officer. The case may be referred to Teen Court, which may take two weeks, Ms. Frazier explained. She believes a quicker turnaround would make a stronger impact on the offenders and they would be less likely to re-offend.

Teen Court hears cases of fighting at school, petty larceny and possession of weapons, drugs or alcohol. Most recently, Ms. Frazier has noticed an increase in shoplifting, particularly food. She has seen several cases where kids eat popcorn chicken while shopping and do not pay for it before leaving. She says it could be more socioeconomic, but she believes children need to be held accountable for their actions.

TURNING POINT

Teen Court educates juvenile first-time offenders through its Turning Point program. Offenders receive 18 hours of Turning Point class covering Faulty Thinking, Dangers of Substance Abuse, Conflict Resolution, and Anger Management. The 18-hour program costs $100 and is paid for by Teen Court. Training for teen volunteers costs the program $210 each, Ms. Frazier said.

RECORD EXPUNGED

Primarily funded through United Way of Southwest Oklahoma, Teen Court gives first offender youths a second chance because if they complete their sentence within the allotted timeframe, and if they do not re-offend, they can have their juvenile record expunged once they become an adult.