DUBLIN, Ga. — It's a court run by teens, for teens. The city of Dublin started the first teen court in Georgia 25 years ago, and since then, they've helped more than 700 teens get back on the right track.
Johniah Boston started in the program five years ago. Now, she serves as a student lawyer for teen court.
"We don't punish people, we just help them to regain their future back," Boston said.
The court takes on the cases of teens who have committed their first misdemeanor.
"Knowing that you can keep a child from potentially going to jail or having a life sentence for something that we could have stopped in their teenage years by just telling them that they need service hours, or just come back and listen to another case," Boston said.
Former Dublin Interim Mayor Julie Driger started teen court when she visited Texas for a conference and saw her first mock trial of a teen court in session. She thought it was so remarkable she decided to bring it to Dublin.
They're one of three in Georgia. Executive Director Woodrow Carswell says they hope to create even more courts like it across the state.
"They can see what other folks are going through. They learn how to communicate. They learn how to come to decisions," Carswell said.
The court is made up of students from sixth to 12th grade. The sessions happen monthly with volunteer middle- and high-schoolers, alongside professional volunteer attorneys and judges.
The teens serve as defense and prosecuting attorneys, clerks, bailiffs, and jurors, with the help of professionals.
Another student attorney, Megan Spires, says she likes helping teens turn their lives around early.
"Coming here, they have that regret look on their face, and knowing that when they walk out of here that they are going to get the chance to clean their slate," Spires said.
The mission is to make a difference, one teen at a time. Woodrow Carswell says he's working on getting more teens involved in the program.