Volunteer opportunities are increasing for high school students every year. By joining clubs and organizations, volunteering is becoming vital to getting into college and serves as a kickstart to careers. Volunteering not only benefits the community, but also a college application. When applying to college or for a job, employers like to see non-profit jobs done over a certain length of time. However, some volunteer opportunities act as a window to real-life careers. If by any chance one wants to explore career-like volunteering, look no further than the City of Raleigh courthouse.
Located at the courthouse, Teen Court meets every other Tuesday at 5 p.m. All cases that are held at the courthouse are real offenses committed by teens ages 11-17. There are several options in volunteering such as being a jury member, attorney or even a bailiff. However, most students opt for being an attorney to jumpstart their knowledge in the field of law.
“[By] being around actual practicing attorneys who know what it’s like to prosecute and defend someone in a real court of law is a great source of feedback and practice for me,” said Will Sideris, junior.
Although Teen Court has its social limits, many attorneys opt to make opening and closing statements humorous and often reflecting an attorney’s character. Situations where the defendant or prosecutor has a change of heart adds an improvisational aspect to the case which allows for practicing recovering and impromptu situations which can leave an attorney room for creativity.
“There is a fair amount of creativity involved. for example, if the opposing counsel brings to light evidence I did know prior to them mentioning it I would need to adjust my arguments to counter whatever point they are trying to make,” said Sideris.
Being a volunteer attorney has several benefits. Defense attorneys get to meet their client and discuss the scene of the crime and any personal habits. By being an attorney, one can engage with the youth, and it serves a lesson to those who may end up to those teetering with the law.
Prosecuting attorneys have a different outlook. One must scour for different reasons as to why the defendant is guilty when there is a possibility the teen was not at fault. Prosecuting attorneys also have much more bandwidth to use controversial bias, but are limited to things such as asking a leading or irrelevant question. Most of these defendants are also young so sometimes teen attorneys must use ease when questioning the defendant.
“The most important way to make sure I am being fair and balanced is to put myself in the defendant’s shoes and to keep in mind that my actions have real and sometimes serious effects to a defendant’s life,” said Sideris.
Like any court case, these cases are done fairly and balanced by a jury of peers and a district attorney serving as a judge. Each case has a specific case number and a sentence is given. Sentences can range from 1-20 hours of community service with teen court jury duties, counseling, written letters of apology and any school punishment given prior to the hearing. Unlike District court, Teen Court is meant to serve as a second chance to teenagers who are seen as a minimum threat to society. By giving these teens a second chance they become fully aware that the circumstances could be much worse if they were in District court.
Teen court serves the community where people of different backgrounds collaborate on different cases. Sometimes, the communal part of Teen Court can get rough around the edges. Being in a courtroom alone can be quite daunting and overwhelming at first but the idea of helping the community can sometimes replace the fear. For more information about participating and volunteering for Teen Court, visit www.capitalareateencourt.org for more details.
