The Night of Your Hearing

1. Defendant will check-in with the Case Coordinator and receive a copy of his/her brief to read and sign. There will be a twenty to thirty-minute waiting period while the teen attorneys prepare their cases.
2. Defendant will meet with his/her defense attorney(s).
3. Defendant will be escorted to the courtroom and he or she will be introduced to the jury to determine if potential jurors know the defendant personally.
4. The Defendant and parents are brought into the courtroom by the Bailiff.
5. The sentencing hearing will proceed.
6. The Judge will instruct the jury on determining an appropriate sentence for the case before them and the Bailiff leads the jury to the deliberation room where they will agree on a verdict.
7. When the jury has reached a verdict, the Judge calls the Defendant and parent(s) to approach the bench. The Judge announces the verdict of the jury to the court. The Judge will ask the Defendant and his/her family if they understand the verdict handed down by the Teen Court jury and instruct the family to meet with the Case Coordinator immediately after the hearing.
8. The Judge ends the hearing by administering the "Oath of Confidentiality."

REMINDER: You, the defendant, and your parents/guardian must be present from 5:30 until your hearing is finished and you have met with the case coordinator to review the sanctions. While you are waiting for your hearing, you may be required to sit around for a long period of time. You are required to be available for your teen attorneys.

FAILURE TO COMPLY MAY RESULT IN YOUR CASE BEING RETURNED TO THE STATE ATTORNEY FOR PROSECUTION.