Welcome to the Charles County Sheriff's Teen Court Program
The
Charles County Teen Court is designed to reduce the number of
youthful offenders and educate youth in a realistic court
environment. Teen Court is a juvenile justice diversion
program offering first-time offenders, ages 12-17, an
opportunity to accept accountability for their misdemeanor
offenses without having to incur a formal criminal record.
Teen Court is a volunteer based program that allows juvenile
respondents to be judged by a jury of their peers.
Charles County Courthouse
The Charles County Sheriff's Office is committed to promoting
public safety and enhancing the quality of life for all the
citizens of Charles County. This requires us to be innovative in
creating programs that can assist our youth. Since the Teen
Court program began in March 2001, more than a thousand of our youth have
been given a second chance after committing a crime. More importantly, this program has
been highly successful in giving our youth the opportunity to
change their behavior and accept responsibility for their
actions.
The Teen Court Program also provides our
county teens who are interested in our judicial system an
opportunity to help their fellow teens and gain first-hand
knowledge of the court system. Many of our teen attorneys have
gone on to utilize the experience gained through this
program in their future goals and careers. Please contact the
Teen Court Coordinator with any questions and join our
dedicated staff of volunteers who make this program work for
the benefit of all the citizens of Charles County.
Announcements
Maryellen
Kraese new Charles County Drug Court Coordinator
Maryellen
Kraese, Charles County Teen Court Coordinator for over 4 years,
has been selected to be the Charles County Drug Court
Coordinator effective February 16, 2008. The youth and
adult Teen Court volunteers are all going to miss Maryellen as
she accepts the challenges of this new position. Maryellen
has been instrumental in the Charles County Teen Court Program
achieving the high standards of excellence that have made the
program a model for the State of Maryland as well as nationally
recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice. Under
Maryellen's leadership, the program has grown to handle nearly
200 cases a year, achieving the 1,000 case mark in 2007.
Her energy, dedication, and skillful program administration have
been an inspiration to the volunteers as well as all of the
respondents whose lives she has touched. Her commitment to
helping the youth of Charles County through the extension of the
opportunity to have their cases heard before Teen Court was
unquestionable. Clearly this commitment will now benefit
those youths who will be given the opportunity to participate in
Drug Court. We wish Maryellen only the best in her new
position and appreciate all that she has done to make the
Charles County Teen Court the outstanding program that it is.
Click here to see a
Letter to the Editor, Maryland Independent.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY:
If the Charles County Public Schools are closed due to
inclement weather on a scheduled Teen Court day, there will be
NO Court Session that night.
The Charles County Teen Court was honored when it was asked
to present its program on Capitol Hill for the American Youth
Policy Forum.
Click here to find out more.
The Charles
County Teen Court adult and youth volunteer applications are available:
The New Fall 2008 Charles County Teen Court calendar is available:
