Lakewood Teen Court returns after a pandemic pause.

As part of the Lakewood Municipal Teen Court program, children who commit minor crimes can be tried and sentenced by a jury of their peers. It’s a diversion program, meaning that upon completion of their sentence, the charge can be dismissed.

“I think the coolest part about teen court is positive peer pressure,” the program coordinator Caleb Mulvin said, who is also a probation officer.

Kids between 13 and 17 years old can play the roles of defense attorneys, prosecutors, the jury or the judge. They research the criminal justice system, learn the laws, get to know the defendants and hold trials.

Mulvin said the goal is to help defendants learn the consequences of their actions, and help them make better choices.

“Through participating in teen court, they’re gonna be able to develop skills and develop empathy for the victims,” Mulvin said. “And they’ll be able to write either an essay, or apology letter to their victim, take classes like Discovering Better Choices.”

The goal of the program is restorative justice— or repairing the harm a defendant’s crime did to the community.

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“I can tell you anecdotally that we don’t have our teen court kids coming back through this system,” Lakewood Chief Probation Officer Jennifer Zubalik said. “The majority of them are successful and move on and don’t ever have another contact with criminal justice.”

Lakewood Teen Court will hold its first training on August 29.

If you’re interested, click here to apply.

Justice with Jessica: Teen Court restorative justice program comes back to Lakewood