A teenager sits in a desk in the front of a group of 15 students. The teen’s parents sit next to them, listening to the group’s questions and their child’s answers. The young person has been convicted of a crime, but they aren’t undergoing through traditional sentencing in a traditional court. Court takes place in a classroom, where the choices that students make will be able to affect another teen for the rest of their life.
At Communication & Media Arts High School, Communicators have many options to choose from for extracurricular activities. One program that has many students excited is Sara Hennes' third hour Basic Law class.
Teen Court, sponsored by Wayne County’s Prosecutor's Office, allows juvenile offenders of low level crimes a chance to clear their record and also change their lives.
Hennes, has been teaching Basic Law for three years and is a new member of CMA's staff.
"The experience is important to both the defendant and their parents," Hennes said. "These are serious, real life cases."
But the benefit goes both ways, said many of the students, including senior Kennedy Davis, who played the offender during a practice skit while preparing for future cases. She mentioned how she felt acting such an important part: “I was feeling judged, in a way.”
The class will be exposed to the criminal justice system, Teen Court will allow students to make an impact in the life of someone their age. Members will be able to participate in the sentencing of their peer, hearing their story and then making a positive and effective decision about what that young person will do to stay out of trouble and make the right choices.
Danton Wilson, a prosecutor for Wayne County and a mentor for Teen Court said he has high expectations for CMA because of the school's past experience with the program.
"In previous years, CMA has demonstrated respect for defendants and their families, maturity and involvement," he said.
He hopes that the Basic Law class takes this special opportunity to learn about the law.
"I'm excited for the larger class size this year,” Wilson said. "Hopefully we can add additional elements to the program and begin school-wide projects."
