Peer court successes again face fund cuts.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

The nation's teen courts, shown by a recent study of seven courts in Lane County to be a cost-effective way to reduce juvenile crime, are again facing congressional budget cuts in block grants that support the programs.

Peer courts target teenage first-time offenders, keeping them out of the formal court system and erasing their criminal record if they finish a sentence imposed by their peers. Offenders plead guilty before a panel of other teenagers, who decide a sentence ranging from repaying the victim and doing community service to undergoing counseling or drug and alcohol treatment.

Offenders who finish their sentences are offered a chance to serve on a panel to experience being on the right side of the law.

A recent study of Lane County's decade-old teen court system shows that the courts reduce repeat crime by 10 percent and save thousands of taxpayer dollars when compared with a process that simply notifies an offender's parents about minor offenses.

"The peer courts are very threatened, despite the good work they're doing," said Lisa Smith, director of the Lane County Department of Youth Services. "These funds are always in danger. It's always a struggle, regardless of who is in office, to keep youth issues in the forefront."

While most program evaluations are low profile, local juvenile officials released the peer court data to help bolster public support for juvenile justice efforts generally and for the peer courts particularly, Smith said.

Lane County's peer courts, which cost about $73,000 annually, depend heavily on federal funding. As with peer courts nationwide, they operate under an umbrella of programs funded by a $300 million block grant along with contributions from local governments and other sources.

For the coming year, Congress has slashed the block grant program to $60 million. The Bush administration has proposed eliminating the grant altogether in the following fiscal year. Although Congress recently restored the funding level to $60 million, teen courts are still facing a steep cut.

Debate over the issue is far from over, and Smith said data will be shared with other youth agencies, state officials, congressional delegates and advocates.

"In many ways, the juvenile justice system has done itself an injury by not telling the public what we do," she said.

Lane County's peer court program began in the mid-1990s, when there were fewer than 100 such courts nationwide. It now includes peer courts in Cottage Grove, Fern Ridge, Mapleton, Bethel, west Eugene, Oakridge and Springfield. Nationwide, about 900 peer courts are operating.

The local study is part of ongoing evaluations of all juvenile programs by the youth services department to determine programs' effectiveness and their cost in order to prioritize future spending decisions, said Linda Wagner, a researcher with the county youth services department, who conducted the study.

The study of 333 first offenders tracked for two years showed 80.7 percent of peer court graduates did not commit another crime. Among similar offenders who did not attend peer court but simply had a letter sent to their home by juvenile justice officials, 70.7 percent did not reoffend.

The estimated communitywide savings if all first offenders in the study group had been sent through peer courts was $325,530 because of reduced victim losses and law enforcement costs, Wagner said.

The cost savings figure was based on a standard estimate of the average $9,265 cost to process a single juvenile offense through the formal court system - which includes loss to the victim and costs for police, courts, defense lawyer, and juvenile system services.

Costs for the peer courts and for the parent notification program also were calculated into the savings estimate. The peer court, operated by part-time coordinators and volunteers, costs $197 per offender. The letter program costs $236 per offender, which includes overhead costs for the juvenile system as well as personnel costs for the letter writing and follow-up.

Juvenile officials emphasize the youths involved in the study are not hardened criminals. But the study nevertheless did show peer courts cut down on the number of future chronic offenders, Wagner said.

National and local studies show that 8 percent to 9 percent of juvenile first offenders turn into chronic long-term offenders, she said.

In the peer court group, 4.1 percent of the youths were chronic offenders after two years while 5.9 percent of the parent notification group became chronic - defined as committing three or more new crimes in that period.

However, the peer court study does not serve as a call for more severe intervention among low-risk first offenders, Wagner said. Instead, the study affirms that the peer court system works better and is cheaper in the long run than merely sending letters to homes of first offenders, she said.

"Research has proven that intensive corrections responses with low-risk juvenile offenders actually increases delinquency," Wagner said. "Findings from this report do not advocate for more intensive responses. Instead, it shows appropriate diversion responses (peer courts) for this population are more effective and cost efficient than the letter response."

TEEN COURT STUDY

A study of 333 juvenile first-time offenders shows less repeat crime and lower costs for those whose minor crimes are dealt with by a panel of teen peers. Teen courts have been operating in Lane County for 10 years.

Of those sent to teen court, 19.3 percent committed another crime within two years. In a matched control group that did not attend the teen court, 29.3 percent committed another crime in the same period.

Among teen court participants, 4.1 percent committed three or more new crimes within two years. Among the control group, 5.9 percent became chronic offenders.

A cost analysis showed taxpayers and victims would have a combined savings of $325,000 if all 333 of the study participants had completed teen court.

The study is available online under "information," at www.lanecounty.org/YS

- Lane County Department of Youth Services