Indian Island teens participate in juvenile justice program.

Bob Meggison is an attorney with Pine Tree's KIDS Legal project. He works out of our Bangor office. Among other things, Bob serves as defense counsel for juveniles in the Penobscot Nation Tribal Court.

In February Bob participated in an activity that permitted him to step out of his usual role while at the same time drawing on his experience as an attorney. In conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of Indian Island, the Penobscot Nation Tribal Court sponsored a “You Be the Judge” program. It involved more than forty Indian Island teenagers. The program is based on the work of a retired judge from Arizona. The goal is to stimulate thinking about the many forces that affect the lives of teenagers, particularly those who find themselves in the juvenile justice system, while at the same time fostering an appreciation of the needs of society and victims.

The group at Indian Island was divided into two. Each was presented with a “fact pattern” about a fictional fourteen year old, “Ericka”. She had been charged with assault and possession of drug paraphernalia. In fact, Ericka was not so fictional. Her story was that of a young woman who had appeared before the judge several times. Each group had to figure out a plan for Ericka as if they were the judges in her case. They spent around ninety minutes discussing Ericka's family situation, life experiences and behaviors. They debated the relative impact of each on the conduct that brought her to court. Tribal Court Judge Eric Mehnert, Juvenile Corrections Officer Kathy Paul, Bob Meggison, and Micah Robbins, Director of Special Projects for Jobs for Maine Graduates, facilitated the discussion.

There followed a lively discussion of the possible options (treatment/punishment/restoration). Each group developed a plan and then presented it to the whole group. The group of judges decided that Erika should be placed on probation for one year. During that time she should undergo counseling focused on substance abuse and anger. They also agreed on a community service component to her sentence since a pair of glasses had been broken during the assault. By the end of the program, participants had learned that judicial decision-making is no easy matter and that it takes into account a variety of factors, including personal and societal ones.