Green stood under an oak tree for the first time in more than 31 years as he spoke about his journey ahead.

The State Attorney’s Office regularly recommends first-time youth offenders who are accused of committing minor crimes to Teen Court, a teenager-run mock courtroom with real rules and real penalties. The recidivism rate in Teen Court is much lower than a child who goes through juvenile probation.”Egan said teenagers who complete Teen Court re-offend less than 10% of the time, much lower than the traditional juvenile justice system. Last year, 202 Teen Court cases were completed and more than $5,400 was paid in restitution to victims, according to Egan. What we can control is what goes on inside this courthouse especially with respect to Teen Court. Teens volunteered more than 4,100 hours in 2019 in Teen Court and adults volunteered more than 924 hours, according to Egan.