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glencoeanchor.com news<br />
the glencoe anchor | April 18, 2019 | 3<br />
New Trier Township<br />
Growth of peer jury program spans two decades<br />
Discussed at<br />
170th annual town<br />
meeting<br />
Daniel I. Dorfman<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
When a New Trier<br />
Township teenager finds<br />
themselves in criminal<br />
trouble, their destination<br />
is not necessarily juvenile<br />
court. In some cases, they<br />
may wind up in front of a<br />
jury of their peers as part<br />
of a program that has now<br />
been in place for more<br />
than 20 years.<br />
The peer jury program<br />
was a main focus of conversation<br />
Tuesday, April 9,<br />
at the New Trier Township<br />
170th annual town meeting.<br />
Brian Leverenz, a<br />
community service administrator<br />
and peer jury coordinator<br />
described the program<br />
that he said started<br />
in 1997 with the first cases<br />
heard in September 1998.<br />
When an arrest is made,<br />
the police officer makes a<br />
decision about what cases<br />
are appropriate for peer<br />
jury, Leverenz explained.<br />
In order to participate,<br />
the offending party has to<br />
plead guilty, sign a waiver<br />
of confidentiality and they<br />
have to agree to show<br />
up with a parent or legal<br />
guardian in court.<br />
Instead of having a brief<br />
appearance in front of a<br />
judge, in a peer jury, the<br />
offenders appear before<br />
a group of eight to 10 of<br />
high school-age jurors at<br />
the New Trier Township<br />
building who meet the first<br />
Wednesday of each month,<br />
according to Leverenz.<br />
Applicants have to go<br />
through an orientation<br />
process to become jurors.<br />
Leverenz said between 15<br />
– 20 children apply each<br />
year.<br />
“Peer jury is something<br />
that takes kids and police<br />
away from the complexities<br />
of the courtroom and<br />
the legal system with<br />
prosecuting attorneys,<br />
defense attorneys and<br />
judges which is an adversarial<br />
process,” Leverenz<br />
said. “It puts them all into<br />
a room where they have<br />
to admit their guilt and<br />
makes them take responsibility<br />
for their actions<br />
and makes an effort to<br />
redress the crime in their<br />
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hearts and restorative actions.”<br />
Leverenz acknowledged<br />
there was some resistance<br />
from certain New Trier<br />
law enforcement agencies<br />
at the start of the program<br />
over two decades<br />
ago. Back then, there were<br />
roughly 200 peer juries<br />
nationwide, now there<br />
are now more than 2,000<br />
across the country.<br />
“This is a concept that<br />
is here to stay,” Leverenz<br />
said. “It is one that many<br />
communities support.”<br />
Join us Tuesday<br />
Leverenz said the township<br />
peer juries have had<br />
699 cases from all the New<br />
Trier Township through<br />
the end of 2018 with approximately<br />
one third<br />
being drugs and alcohol<br />
related, another third being<br />
criminal damage or<br />
criminal trespass and the<br />
rest being miscellaneous.<br />
He added the growth of<br />
technology has led to new<br />
types of crimes such as cyberbullying,<br />
transmission<br />
of pornographic material<br />
or recently he has seen a<br />
rise in vaping with THC<br />
cases.<br />
“Just when I think I have<br />
seen everything I’m sure<br />
something new will come<br />
along soon,” he said.<br />
He said the program has<br />
enjoyed a 96 percent success<br />
rate as the offenders<br />
completed their community<br />
service requirements<br />
with a good evaluation.<br />
As for the punishments<br />
the young offenders receive,<br />
many times they involve<br />
a community service<br />
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