Have you heard about Parker’s Teen Court program? Serving the Parker community for six years, this exciting program provides teens with an opportunity to get involved with the court system and earn community service hours.

The Parker Teen Court was started in an effort to involve youth in Parker in the judicial process while offering appropriate sentencing for juvenile offenders. This community-based program was designed to hold first-time juvenile misdemeanor offenders accountable while also providing a positive and educational experience through peer mentoring.

Currently the program is accepting teenagers who are interested in volunteering to serve as jurors, bailiffs and attorneys. To serve as a teen attorney for the program, teens must be at least 14 years old. All other positions are open to youth 12 to 17 years old. Teens can use time volunteered in court toward mandatory community service hours for graduation or honor societies, as well as a job resume or college application. Teen Court sessions are generally held Wednesday or Thursday evenings during the year. The time commitment is as little as one evening per month.

Training sessions are held once a year with additional advanced training sessions held throughout the year to improve performance.

The cases heard in Teen Court are real. Some of the charges that participants may hear include: assault, destruction of property, disorderly conduct, ?reworks, littering, petty theft, possession of alcohol, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and shoplifting.

An orientation for the Teen Court Program will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on March 9 at Parker Town Hall, 20120 E. Mainstreet. Interested teens are encouraged to attend and parents are welcome. Teen Court applications are available online at www.parkeronline.org. Please contact Sandra Gutierrez to confirm attendance or for additional information at 303-805-3171 or sgutierrez@parkeronline.org.