Arrival
at the Courthouse
All jurors
and respondents should arrive at the Charles County Courthouse
by 5:30 PM, entering through the glass doors at the rear
of the Courthouse, facing the parking lot. Upon entry everyone
is required to go through the security checkpoint. Please
follow the instructions of the officer on the security checking
procedures. Remember that radios, recording devices, cameras,
weapons, and any other electronic devices are strictly prohibited.
For Teen Court ONLY, a cell phone may be brought into the
Courthouse to coordinate pickup after the session but MUST
be turned off during the entire period you are in the Courthouse.
Respondents
After
passing through the security checkpoint, all respondents
and parents should proceed up the stairs to the second floor.
Proceed down the hallway to the first hallway on the right
that leads to Courtroom A. The Teen Court Coordinator will
be located in the room immediately to the left. If the Coordinator
is not available, please take a seat in the waiting room
to the right. The Coordinator will call you into the office
in turn.
Jurors
All jurors
both volunteer and respondents who are attending as part
of their disposition (“mandatory”), are to proceed
down the first floor hallway to the first hallway on the
right. Just past the elevators will be a room on the right
identified as the Jury Waiting Room. Upon entering this
area you will find a sign-in sheet at the front of the room.
Sign in on this sheet, providing the requested information.
Take a seat and await the Teen Court staff member to begin
the orientation. Bathrooms are located in the main hallway.
When coming from the Jury Waiting Room, turn right at the
main hallway and the bathrooms will be located immediately
to your left. Do NOT loiter in the halls or enter any other
areas of the Courthouse under any circumstances. Immediately
return to the Jury Waiting Room.
Orientation/Assignment to Jury Panels
All jurors
should be seated in the Jury Waiting Room by 5:30 PM. A
Teen Court Staff member will welcome everyone and provide
a brief overview of the Teen Court program. This overview
includes the purpose of the Charles County Teen Court, the
responsibilities of the Teen Court juror, the courtroom
procedures for the petit and grand jury formats, conduct
guidelines, and any administrative guidance. At the conclusion
of the overview, the sign-in roster will be used to assign
jurors to different jury panels. Assignments will be made
based on the nature of the cases on the docket. For example,
traffic cases will have a majority of the jury consisting
of those of driving age, or cases involving a middle school
student consisting of middle school aged jurors. Requests
to be seated on the same jury with an acquaintance will
not be honored unless under special circumstances approved
in advance. Any jurors arriving late or in excess of the
maximum 12 required will be assigned to a jury panel as
an “alternate juror” and will be substituted
for an assigned juror if there is a recognition issue of
the respondent. Alternates will be given an opportunity
to sit on the jury panel by switching with an assigned juror
for subsequent cases. Your Teen Court Jury Monitor will
make any changes once in the courtroom. Each juror should
remember the jury panel to which they have been assigned.
The staff member will advise each assigned jury panel the
nature of the cases on their docket and the jury format
to be used. Any questions you may have about the Teen Court
procedures should be directed to the Teen Court staff member.
Any last minute bathroom breaks should be made now since
the cases can not be stopped for this purpose.
Relocation
to Assigned Courtrooms
At approximately
5:55 PM a Teen Court staff member will advise you that it
was time to proceed to the courtroom. At this time you should
collect all your belongings to take with you. All gum, food,
and drinks should be disposed of at this time since none
are permitted in the courtroom. All hats should be removed
and remain off for the duration of the court session. All
cell phones should be checked to ensure that they are turned
completely off. The Teen Court staff member will announce
the first jury panel to move to their courtroom and will
direct them to the Teen Court staff member who will escort
them to their courtroom and will serve as the Jury Monitor
for the entire session. You should quietly follow your Jury
Monitor to your assigned courtroom, entering the jury box,
starting with the seats in the front row and then the second
row. All alternate jurors are to sit in the gallery and
are not to leave the courtroom unless specifically excused
by the Judge or Jury Monitor.
Once
seated in the jury box you can place your personal items
beside your seat but out of the aisle. Follow the instructions
of your Jury Monitor who will hand out notepads, pens, and
sanction sheets (if appropriate). If the grand jury format
is to be used, you will be asked to fill in a seating chart
for the Judge, clearly printing your name in the box that
corresponds with your seat. All items except your notepad
and pen should be on the floor beside you.
Opening
the Teen Court Session
Once
all jurors are ready for the session to begin, all gallery
observers are seated, respondents present along with their
Teen Court attorneys (if applicable), and the courtroom
is ready, the bailiff will notify the judge. The bailiff
will return to the courtroom and say: “All rise, this
session of the Charles County Teen Court is now in session,
the Honorable <Judge’s Name> presiding”.
The judge will enter and take the bench. The judge will
ask everyone to be seated. The judge will give a brief introduction
to Teen Court. The judge will ask everyone in the courtroom
to rise, raise their right hand, and will administer the
Oath of Confidentiality. The judge will then ask everyone
to be seated and will review the significance of the Oath
of Confidentiality. The respondent(s) will be identified.
The judge will ask the jury if any member of the jury recognizes
the respondent. If you know or recognize the respondent,
raise your hand. The judge will ask you several questions
about how well you know the respondent and if you can be
totally impartial in your deliberations involving this individual.
The respondent(s) will be asked if they know any member
of the jury. If the respondent recognizes any jury member,
they will likewise be asked if they had any reservations
about that individual serving on the jury. If there is no
challenge the case will continue. If there is any concern
about an individual’s participation as a jury member,
that member will be asked to leave the jury box and sit
in the gallery and will be replaced by a alternate juror
for that case. This is NOT a negative reflection on the
juror involved, but ensures that the respondent is provided
with as impartial a jury panel as possible. Once the jury
has been selected, the judge will ask the jury panel to
rise. You are to rise, face the respondent, and raise your
right hand. The judge will administer the Jury Oath which
says that you will faithfully perform your duties as a juror
in an unbiased manner. The judge will then direct you to
be seated.
What happens
next depends on the court format being used for the case
under consideration. There are two formats utilized by the
Teen Court: Petit Jury and Grand Jury. The Petit Jury format
involves the use of Teen Court attorneys as the Prosecutor
and Defense Counsel. The Prosecutor will be seated at the
table to the left as you look towards the gallery. The Defense
Counsel and Respondent will be seated at the table to the
right. In the Grand Jury format there will be no Teen Court
attorneys present.
Important
note
It is
incumbent on each and every juror to give their full time
and attention to the respondent’s responses to questions
from either their Teen Court attorneys or from fellow jurors.
Daydreaming, dozing off, doodling, laughing, smirking, making
facial expressions, or otherwise not paying attention to
the case being heard is unfair to your fellow teen who is
the respondent and will not be tolerated, resulting in your
immediate removal from the jury. Also remember that to enter
the Teen Court Program that the respondent acknowledges
their involvement/guilt to the charges. You are NOT determining
whether they are guilty or not, only the appropriate disposition
(sentence) for their actions.
Petit
Jury Procedures
The Judge
will announce the case and will ask if the Prosecution and
Defense are prepared to proceed. The Prosecution and Defense
will each provide their opening remarks, briefly introducing
the case from their perspective. Remember that this information
is not evidence, but their opinions. After the opening remarks,
the Judge will ask the respondent to take the witness stand
to be sworn in by the bailiff. The bailiff will administer
the oath and will ask the respondent to take their seat
and state their name and age. At this point the Defense
and Prosecution will take turns asking questions of the
respondent about the incident and their involvement. You
should pay very close attention to the responses by the
respondent since this is evidence and should be taken into
consideration when you deliberate to come up with an appropriate
disposition (sentence). Once each side has completed their
questioning and follow-up questions, the Judge will ask
the respondent if they would like to address the jury. This
is the respondent’s opportunity to address you the
jury directly and say anything they feel is appropriate
about the incident or themselves that they would like for
you to take into consideration as part of your deliberations.
After the respondent has completed the Judge will direct
the respondent to return to the defense table and be seated.
The Prosecution and Defense attorneys will then address
the jury to provide their closing remarks which will be
their summary of the case and their recommendations for
a disposition. Remember, this is only the opinion of the
attorneys and not evidence. You are under no obligation
to consider what the attorneys tell you at this point as
part of your deliberations. After both attorneys have finished
their closing remarks the Judge will address the jury and
explain any elements of the law that would be applicable
to the case under consideration. The Judge will then appoint
a foreperson from the jury. The Judge will then direct the
jury to retire to the Deliberation Room along with your
Jury Monitor to determine a disposition. The Judge will
recess the court until the jury has agreed upon a disposition.
The jury should
quietly and orderly file out of the jury box and across
the hall into the Deliberation Room. The Jury Monitor will
guide you where to go. Each juror should take a seat at
the table, with the foreperson appointed by the Judge taking
the seat at the head of the table. Each juror will be provided
with a Teen Court sanction guideline sheet. The foreperson
will complete the jury disposition form with the respondent’s
name and case number provided by the Jury Monitor. The Jury
Monitor will identify the category (severity) of the offense.
The foreperson will lead the discussion of each of the sanctions
identified on the disposition form, using the sanction guideline
for the category level of the offense. The sanction guideline
identifies the minimum and maximum sanction levels for each
category. Sanctions do not have to be limited to only those
sanctions but can be anything reasonable that the jury feels
would be appropriate for that particular respondent. For
a sanction to be imposed, an affirmative vote is required
by the total number of jurors minus 2. Any questions or
issues should be directed to the Jury Monitor who will answer
the question or communicate with the Judge as necessary.
Once the jury panel has come to agreement on all the sanctions
to be imposed, the foreperson will read out loud all the
sanctions agreed upon and ask the jury if they agree with
all of the sanctions. Once completed, the foreperson will
sign the jury disposition form in the spot indicated. The
Jury Monitor will notify the Judge that the jury has reached
a disposition and will return to the Deliberation Room.
The jury will quietly and in an orderly manner file back
into the courtroom and take your seats back in the jury
box. The Judge will call the court back to order.
Grand
Jury Procedures
The Judge
will announce the case and ask the respondent to take the
witness stand to be sworn in by the bailiff. The bailiff
will administer the oath and will ask the respondent to
take their seat and state their name and age. The Judge
will provide a general overview of the offense from the
police report. The Judge will then ask the jury if they
have any questions. Jurors should raise their hand and wait
to be recognized by the Judge. Once recognized, you ask
your question directly of the respondent. You can ask any
question you feel is appropriate about the incident or about
the respondent themselves. Do not be afraid to ask a question.
If a question is asked that isn’t relevant, the Judge
will intervene to help rephrase the question. It is very
important that the jury members ask questions about all
aspects of the incident in order to get the information
needed to render a fair disposition. The only dumb question
is the one that isn’t asked. You can ask follow-on
questions about information from the respondent from any
other juror’s question. At the completion of the questioning
period, each juror should feel that they have enough information
about the incident and the respondent’s involvement
to render the fair and just disposition. The Judge will
ask if the jury has any additional questions, after which
the Judge will ask the respondent if they would like to
address the jury. This is the respondent’s opportunity
to address you the jury directly and say anything they feel
is appropriate about the incident or themselves that they
would like for you to take into consideration as part of
your deliberations. After the respondent has completed the
Judge will allow the respondent to leave the witness stand
and will ask the respondent, parents, and all gallery observers
to exit the courtroom while the jury deliberates the disposition.
The bailiff will escort everyone out of the courtroom except
the Judge, jury, bailiff, and Jury Monitor. The jury will
conduct deliberations in the jury box. The Judge will address
the jury and explain any elements of the law that would
be applicable to the case under consideration. The Judge
will then appoint a foreperson from the jury. Each juror
will be provided with a Teen Court sanction guideline sheet.
The foreperson will complete the jury disposition form with
the respondent’s name and case number provided by
the Jury Monitor. The Jury Monitor will identify the category
(severity) of the offense. The foreperson will lead the
discussion of each of the sanctions identified on the disposition
form, using the sanction guideline for the category level
of the offense. The sanction guideline identifies the minimum
and maximum sanction levels for each category. Sanctions
do not have to be limited to only those sanctions but can
be anything reasonable that the jury feels would be appropriate
for that particular respondent. For a sanction to be imposed,
an affirmative vote is required by the total number of jurors
minus 2. Any questions or issues should be directed to the
Jury Monitor who will answer the question or communicate
with the Judge as necessary. Once the jury panel has come
to agreement on all the sanctions to be imposed, the foreperson
will read out loud all the sanctions agreed upon and ask
the jury if they agree with all of the sanctions. Once completed,
the foreperson will sign the jury disposition form in the
spot indicated. Jurors should place everything on the floor
beside their seat. When the Judge and jury are ready, the
bailiff will return the respondent, parents, and gallery
observers to the courtroom. The Judge will call the court
back to order.
Post-Deliberation Procedures
After
calling the court back to order following jury deliberations,
the Judge will ask the foreperson if the jury has reached
a disposition. The foreperson will respond with “Yes,
Your Honor” and hand the jury disposition form to
the bailiff who will in turn hand it to the Judge. The Judge
will review the disposition and will address the respondent,
asking them to face the jury. The Judge will then read the
disposition agreed upon by the jury and will ask the respondent
if they understand the disposition. The Judge will ask the
respondent’s parent(s) to join the respondent at the
defense table. The Judge will ask some questions of the
parent(s) concerning the respondent and then invite them
to be seated. The Judge will directly address the respondent
to discuss the various implications of the respondent’s
action and the potential impact continuing such behavior
will have on their future. Upon completion of the Judge’s
comments the Judge will hand the signed jury disposition
form to the bailiff who will escort the respondent and their
parent(s) to the Teen Court Coordinator’s office for
administrative processing. The jury, Judge, and bailiff
will prepare themselves and the courtroom for the next case.
The bailiff will bring in the next respondent and the process
will repeat until all cases on the docket have been heard.
Dismissal
Once
all of the cases designated for your courtroom have been
heard you are to remain in your seat, either in the jury
box or the gallery until you have been dismissed by the
Judge or the Teen Court staff member. Make sure that you
have turned in all of the materials you were given to use
during the cases and have turned in all notes you took to
the Teen Court Staff member for disposal. Before leaving,
make sure that you have all your belongings and any trash
around your seat has been picked up. If you have any attendance
verification documents that require signature, please provide
them to your Jury Monitor for action. Do not loiter in the
halls since other courtrooms may still be in session. Proceed
to the courthouse rear door and promptly exit. If you are
awaiting a ride home, a Teen Court staff member will remain
until everyone has been picked up.
Questions/Problems
If you
have a question or a problem, please contact a Teen Court
Staff member who can be readily identified by their blue
shirt with the Sheriff’s Office logo on it. If you
have a problem that can not wait during the hearing of a
case, please raise your hand and you will be given an opportunity
to discuss it with the Judge.
