In the City of Santa Clarita, first-time, non-violent, juvenile offenders are given an alternative choice to Los Angeles County’s Juvenile Court system. First-time offenders with no prior criminal record between the ages of 13 and 17 are eligible to participate in the Community Court as opposed to the criminal justice system set up for juvenile offenders. Basically, teens within the age range who are caught for curfew violations, vandalism, possession of tobacco, alcohol, or paraphernalia related to either are likely to be eligible. Those who are being charged with gang-related offenses, petty theft totaling more than $50, or violent crimes, will not.
The Community Court option aims to curb minor criminal behavior before it can snowball into the commission of major crimes. Additionally, the punishments are designed to enforce a sense of accountability in the youths and seek to educate teens in just how much worse things can be if they continue to commit crimes. Sentencing in Community Court is handled by a judge and includes having teens write letters of apology to any victims, undergo community service hours, attend drug/substance abuse counseling and/or reckless driving courses, and even traffic school.
Teens who are not eligible for the Community Court option may be eligible for the Teen Court Program. This program is designed similarly to the Community Court option, but is set to include teens 13-17 who have been charged with more serious crimes. Those crimes include burglary, brandishing a weapon, public intoxication, battery on school grounds, possession of a weapon and petty theft over $50.
In Teen Court, sentencing is not handled by a judge, but instead justice is meted out by a panel of the teen’s peers. The penalties are meant to fit the crime, and include community service hours, restitution to any victims, drug/alcohol treatment, counseling and authoring a letter of apology. In some cases, those who are sentenced through Teen Court will receive the additional sentence of sitting as a juror in another session of Teen Court. If the teen who has been sentenced in Teen Court fulfills their obligations within 6-months, they will not be jailed, put on probation, nor will their conviction be put on their record.
The success of the programs is lauded due to the fact that the punishment sits squarely in between a non-punishment “slap on the wrist” and what the justice system would typically bestow upon a juvenile offender.