TAUNTON - Standing before an adult volunteer judge, a jury of Taunton High School students recommended a sentence for a student who punched through a classroom window in a fit of rage.
The proceding Tuesday was a mock trial, designed to give a demonstration of how a new pilot program, Taunton Youth Court, will work once it starts hearing actual cases. When the mock trial kicked off, students, school administrators and public officials got their first glimpse of the restorative justice program, which aims to use positive peer pressure to divert at-risk students from a path of juvenile delinquency.

"I think this is a tremendous opportunity for the young people in Taunton to demonstrate how capable they are," said Steven Leonard, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

He was one of about 50 who sat through the pilot program's presentation and mock trial.

Taunton High School is the third in Massachusetts to start a youth court. If a student admits he committed an infraction such as minor theft or vandalism, school administrators have the option of referring him to the court instead of suspension. In youth court, he is tried by an adult volunteer judge and a jury of student volunteers, who decide on a disciplinary action such as a public apology or community service. The program's organizers say positive peer influence of the student volunteers will help connect the offending students to the community, while keeping them out of juvenile court.

"Our primary goal is to have the students of Taunton High School learn and grow, and gain a greater understanding of the justice system," Principal Matthew Mattos said.

In the mock trial scenario, Jesse Westcoat played a new student at school. The character, named Robert Smith, had recently lost his father and was forced to change schools when his mother moved to Taunton. He was a successful student athlete at his old school, buit had trouble adapting to life at Taunton. Smith thought he made a potential new friend when he began chatting with a girl after a class, but the girl's boyfriend got upset when he saw the two talking and laughing. He and Smith got in an argument, which ended when the boyfriend pushed Smith away. Smith then got angry and punched the window on a classroom door out of frustration, shattering it.

Junior Makayla St. Pierre, 17, explained why she volunteered to serve on youth court.

"I've always been interested in law and helping people," she said.

The mock trial played out like an actual case would in Taunton Youth Court, with one key difference. During an actual case, the public will not be invited. All student and adult volunteers will make pledges of confidentiality.

Student volunteers served as prossecutors and defense attorneys, each side lobbying for a different set of sanctions. The sanctions the jury doles out are based on the principles of restorative justice.

In the mock trial the jury deliberated and decided Smith should perform 12 hours of community service, give a verbal apology to the involved parties, have an evaluation with a counsellor, undergo anger management and peer mediation, join an extra-curricular activity and serve on a youth court jury for five nights.

School Resource Police Officer Dora Treacy has high hopes for youth court.

"Hopefully the suspension rate will be lowered," she said. "A lot of times you have kids who do minor things get suspended."

Mattos said his associate headmasters will have a set of "select criteria" that will determine whether a case is referred to youth court.

"The higher level disciplinary issues will still be referred to the juvenile justice system.," he said.

The program is provided through a partnership of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Taunton Public Schools, the Taunton Safe Neighborhoods Initiative and Community Care Services.

Students Ryan Drew, 16, a junior, and Thomas Ayala, 17, a senior, said they hope the program is a big success.

"I hope it doesn't just help Taunton High School, but the whole city," Drew said.

gtuoti@tauntongazette.com

THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS - Rev. Luz Celeniar Tirado, Senior Pastor

61 Winthrop Street  ~ Taunton, MA 02780

(508) 822-3454  ~  Fax:  (508) 821-3147

BACK TO HOME

"And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."   -  Mark 13:37