By Haylie Robinson
Your main question is probably, “What is Teen Court?” According to the Office of the Bladen County District Attorney, Jon David, Teen Court is a program for juveniles who have been charged with violating the law. Instead of the traditional justice system’s more formal handling of criminal charges, Teen Court volunteers offer juvenile offenders the opportunity to take their actions in a mock courtroom before their peers.
The program gives kids a chance to change their paths without crimes showing up on their records. It helps good kids get a chance in life because everyone makes mistakes.
Ron Matthews is the program director; he says, “This program helps kids progress with a clean record, communication skills, and a better sense of life. It’s a restart, so they have a better chance at life.”
Counselors, resource officers, and district court prosecutors refer middle school and high school students to the teen court program. Although Matthews did not give a breakdown of the students and their ages, he explained about 80 kids took advantage of the program last year. There are also some benefits for the taxpayers of our community. Matthews stated, “For every hour that a juvenile is involved with this type of program, it saves about $2,500 for taxpayers over the lifetime.”
This program also helps teens who don’t know what to do with their lives—the Teen Court program partners with Bladen Community College (BCC). For teens who have yet to decide what they want to do when they get older, BCC will let them sit in some classes the teens might be interested in and get a feel for something they might want to do.
Teen Court allows students to fix their wrongdoings and make a fresh start. Teens can also volunteer. This program is available for ages 10 through 18. The office for the program is located at Bladen County Courthouse, 166 E. Broad St. Rm. 213 Elizabethtown, NC 28337.
The next dates for Teen Court are:
• March 6th 2023
• April 3rd 2023
• May 1st 2023
• June 5th 2023
For more information about Teen Court, call 910-872-7311 or email teencourt@bladenco.org.
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