Have you heard about Parker’s Teen Court program? This exciting program, which has been serving the Parker community for six years, provides teens with an opportunity to get involved in the court system and earn community service hours. Teen Court was started in an effort to involve youth in Parker in the judicial process and offer appropriate sentencing for juvenile offenders. This community-based program was designed to hold first-time juvenile misdemeanor offenders accountable, while also providing a positive and educational experience through peer mentoring.
The program is currently seeking teen volunteers to serve as jurors, bailiffs and attorneys. To serve as a teen attorney for the program, you must be at least 14 years old. All other positions are open to youth 12 to 17 years old. Teens can use time volunteered in court toward mandatory community service hours for graduation and honor societies, as well as on a job resume or college application.
Teen Court sessions are generally held Wednesday or Thursday evenings and the time commitment is as little as one evening per month. Training sessions are held once a year with additional advanced training sessions held throughout the year to improve performance. Volunteers will hear real Teen Court cases that involve a variety of charges including assault, destruction of property, disorderly conduct, ?reworks, littering, petty theft, possession of alcohol, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and shoplifting.
A Teen Court orientation will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 20120 E. Mainstreet. Interested teens are encouraged to attend and parents are welcome! Teen Court applications are available online at www.parkeronline.org/teencourt. Please contact Sandra Gutierrez to confirm attendance or with additional questions at 303.805.3171 or sgutierrez@parkeronline.org.