ADOPTED - NOVEMBER 22, 2005

Agenda Item No. 13

Introduced by the Judiciary Committee of the:

INGHAM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THOMAS M. COOLEY LAW SCHOOL FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LANSING TEEN COURT

RESOLUTION #05-321

WHEREAS, in April 2000, Thomas M. Cooley Law School, in its capacity as a community collaborator, opened  its doors to the Lansing Teen Court through the provision of office space to house daily program operations; and

WHEREAS, in November of 2002, due to steady program growth, granted access to  additional offices for family intake meetings and other program activities, as well as, access to classroom space, to accommodate the addition of a second staff member charged with the implementation of an educational component known as Street Law Workshops; and

WHEREAS, in January of 2004, with the completion of the Thomas M. Cooley Law Center Moot Courtrooms, these courtrooms were open to Lansing Teen Court, enabling the program operations to double its capacity to serve more juvenile respondents and thereby double the program’s capacity to expose local high school student volunteers to serve as Teen Court Peer Jurors, Bailiffs and Clerks during monthly hearings; and

WHEREAS, due to the identification of underlying causes of juvenile crime in program participants, the Thomas M. Cooley Volunteer Corps refers 10 to 15 Law Students per term to serve as Youth Respondent Advocates, who continue to provide adult guidance, academic tutoring and other program support to meet program and community needs, and

WHEREAS, due to the expansion of eligible offenses and referrals from the Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the need for qualified officials to oversee monthly hearings has risen dramatically; and

WHEREAS, when local family court and district court judges cannot serve, Law Professors/Attorneys from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School faculty have volunteered to serve as “Honorary Judge”.  Their own belief in Balance and Restorative Juvenile Justice alternatives has resulted in unique program contributions that continue to strengthen our community’s resolve to address juvenile justice needs; and

WHEREAS, because of Thomas M. Cooley’s ongoing facility, faculty and student contributions, Lansing Teen Court now in the fifth year of operations, has provided program services to over 450 juvenile respondents and trained and directly involved nearly 1,700 high school students as Peer Jurors, Bailiffs and Clerks; and

WHEREAS, this generous support has resulted in helping our young people become knowledgeable about our System of Laws, how courtrooms function, the harm crime causes our community and the importance of becoming responsible and contributing citizens.

ADOPTED - NOVEMBER 22, 2005

Agenda Item No. 13

RESOLUTION #05-321

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Board of Commissioners hereby recognizes Thomas M. Cooley Law School for the generous support and contributions to the Lansing Teen Court.

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE:  Yeas:  Holman, Weatherwax-Grant, Nolan, Swope, Schafer, Dougan

Nays:  None              Absent:  None             Approved 11/10/05