PIERRE – Central Teen Court’s Northern Division claimed the team championship title at the 2nd Annual Statewide Teen Court Mock Trial Competition. The South Dakota Teen Court Association hosted the 2nd Annual Statewide Teen Court Mock Trial Competition February 19 – 20, 2010, in Pierre.
Central Teen Court – Northern Division was represented by youth volunteers from Sully and Potter Counties. The team accumulated more points than any other team in the competition to claim this year’s title. Central Teen Court – Northern Division is a program of Capital Area Counseling Services of Pierre.
In addition to the team championship, individual participants were honored for their performances during the competition. Rachel Day of Highmore repeated as the Best Bailiff in the competition and Mariah Bloom and Adrienne Eisenbeisz of Aberdeen won Best Prosecuting Attorneys in their first year of participating. Other individual winners were:
Best Jury: Lawrence/Meade County Jury
Best Defense Attorneys: Jesse Todd (Onida) - Central Teen Court – Northern Division
Michala Jones (Pierre) – Central Teen Court
Best Prosecuting Attorneys: Mariah Bloom (Aberdeen) – Brown County
Adrienne Eisenbeisz (Aberdeen) – Brown County
Best Bailiff: Rachel Day (Highmore) representing Central Teen Court
Best Team: Central Teen Court – Northern Division
The Teen Court Mock Trial Competition was sponsored by the South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association, May Adam, Gerdes & Thompson law firm of Pierre, Cutler & Donahoe law firm of Sioux Falls, Fuller & Sabers of Sioux Falls, Mortenson law firm of Fort Pierre, Turbak Law Offices of Watertown, and Woods, Fuller, Schultz & Smith law firm of Sioux Falls.
The Teen Court Mock Trial Competition showcased the talents of the volunteers of the teen court programs across the state and highlighted the principles of restorative justice that guide these peer-to-peer programs.
Each teen court program competing in the Mock Trial Competition was judged in three rounds of competition. Each round presented the teams with a different fact pattern and defendant, and the team was judged on how well they addressed the offense by the defendant and determined a constructive sentence to address the harm to the community and help the defendant understand the consequences of his actions. Individuals acting as defense attorneys, prosecution attorneys and bailiffs were judged on their roles on the process in achieving the goals of the team.
Mock Trial Champions 2010 - Central Teen Court Northern Division