Cortez Municipal Court is launching a diversion program that will allow teenagers to help decide appropriate consequences for other young people charged with lower-level offenses.
The city is recruiting middle and high school students to serve as attorneys, jurors and judges in the new Cortez Teen Court program. Volunteer training sessions are scheduled for July 27 and Aug. 3 at 3 p.m. at Cortez Municipal Court.
Municipal Court Judge Beth Padilla said Teen Court will operate within the existing city court system and will be available to young people accused of offenses such as shoplifting, traffic violations or substance possession.
Participants must accept responsibility for the offense before entering the program. Teenagers who want to contest a charge or request a trial will remain in the traditional municipal court process.
“The question at Teen Court is not whether the offense occurred,” Padilla said. “The question is, why did it occur, and what can we do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?”
During a hearing, a teenage defendant will meet with a teen defense attorney and testify about the circumstances surrounding the offense. Teen volunteers will also act as the prosecutor, judge and jury, with oversight from adults.
The jury will select consequences using sentencing guidelines established by the court. Possible requirements include community service, jury duty, education courses, apology letters, essays, participation in positive community activities or a substance-use evaluation.
Traffic cases may include an Alive at 25 driving course, while substance-related cases may require marijuana, tobacco or minor-in-possession education.
Padilla said community service can create a more direct form of accountability than a monetary penalty.
“If I just issue a fine, a parent could pay the fine amount,” she said. “But the parent can’t volunteer at the Salvation Army to sort clothes for a kid. They have to actually do that.”
Teen defendants will also be required to serve on a jury in a later case, moving from the role of defendant to participating in the court process themselves.
Participants will have several months to complete their sentences. Cases will be dismissed when all requirements are successfully completed.
Padilla said Teen Court programs are used across the country and can reduce the number of young people who return to the justice system. She observed a similar program in Los Alamos, New Mexico, while preparing to establish the Cortez court.
The program is also intended to create volunteer and career-development opportunities for young people who are not facing charges. Teen attorneys may receive only about 15 minutes to review a case before a hearing, requiring them to prepare arguments and respond quickly in court.
Padilla said the experience can help volunteers develop public-speaking, critical-thinking and leadership skills while learning about possible careers in law.
The volunteer program is technically open to young people between the ages of 10 and 18, although Padilla said it is primarily designed for middle and high school students.
No advance registration is required for the July 27 or Aug. 3 training sessions. Both will be held at Cortez City Hall, where the municipal court is located.
The first Teen Court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 17 at 7:30 a.m. Future hearings will be held on the third Monday of each month.
Teen Court proceedings will not generally be open to the public because they involve minors and may include sensitive personal information.
