David W. Enoch Distinguished Service Award
On March 13, 2013, local attorney Lynn L. Olney was presented the David W. Enoch Distinguished Service Award for his many years of volunteer service as a practicing attorney mentoring teens in behalf the Colorado Springs Teen Court, Inc. A luncheon ceremony was held at the Cheyenne Resort Center where over three hundred guests attended.
Teen Court is a non profit organization that works with teens between the ages of 12 to 17 who have been charged with Juvenile criminal offenses. In order to qualify and be accepted by Teen Court, the juvenile defendant must be willing to enter a guilty plea to all pending charges. Wiith the assistance of other teens acting as their legal representatives, and with the assistance of mentoring real life attorneys, the parties present their sworn testimony and exhibits to a jury panel of twelve teens who have successfully participated in the Teen Court Program. Restitution and sentencing verdicts are decided by the teen jury panel and approved by presiding El Paso County and District Court Judges. Mr. Olney has advised teens in their opening and closing statements and various proper procedures used in District Court. Teens who have successfully completed the program act as attorneys representing the juvenile defendant.
Presently, the Colorado Springs Teen Court boasts a low recidivism rate of less than 8 percent. This recidivism rate is much lower than the statistics for juvenile offenders who are found to have committed felony and misdemeanor offenses in the El Paso Juvenile Court system.
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