Nolan Dalla

Teen Jury (1979)

 

 

Thanks to Daisy Ciarlariello for sharing this old newspaper clipping with me. This photo was from 44 years ago when we were both still in high school and were student volunteers on a nationally-recognized legal program for youth called “Teen Jury.”

The idea behind Teen Jury was that underage kids who committed minor crimes (misdemeanors, drug and alcohol offenses, traffic violations, etc.) would have their cases tried in front of a jury made up of other teens. There was a regular trial each week held inside a real courtroom, with a judge, jury, defendants, student lawyers (the two of us), and all the trappings of a real court. The idea was — kids who broke the law would respect the “verdict of peers” more than by adults or a judge. There were some follow-up studies done on Teen Jury, which sparked similar teen legal programs elsewhere around the country and they all proved somewhat effective.  Teen Court, Trial By Peers, and other programs spawned from this early legal initiative.

Of course, a jury of teens had no real legal authority by state law, so each trial was entirely overseen by a Dallas County municipal judge, who had the option of either accepting or rejecting the jury’s verdict. In my nearly three years on Teen Jury, I don’t think the judge ever rejected any verdict or sentence any teen jury. Everyone took this responsibility very seriously, and I think lots of good came out of it. I really think these kinds of programs–in all sectors–should be more common. Kids learn a lot more by DOING.

Daisy Ciarlariello was (and still is) a bright, hard-working person. Her parents were Cuban immigrants and I always had tremendous respect for her and her family. Fortunately, we reconnected a few years ago here on Facebook, which is how she shared this photo with me, taken when we were both 17.

Daisy was the defense attorney on many Teen Jury cases. She had the thankless job of being something like a court-appointed attorney. Daisy always argued her cases well. She had a rare quality of being both persuasive and compassionate.

Believe it or not, I was the teen prosecutor. It was really an easy job because almost everyone was guilty. I always asked for the maximum punishment and loved arguing with the defendants (who in almost all cases were forced to testify). After several months as the prosecutor, they started calling me “Dr. Death” because I always asked for hard punishments like “400 hours of community service” for even the most minor of offenses. Thank goodness I didn’t go into law.

Fond memories. Thanks, Daisy!

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