S t a t e o f W i s c o n s i n
Office of The State Public Defender
Wisconsin Forward Award Mastery Recipient
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S t a t e o f W i s c o n s i n
Office of The State Public Defender
Wisconsin Forward Award Mastery Recipient
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(Madison) The La Crosse County Peer Court will receive a Wisconsin Cares About Kids Award on June 29, 2005. The program is being recognized for its success in providing area youth with a positive alternative to regular Juvenile Court.
The ceremony will be held at 5:30 pm on June 29, 2005 at the Onalaska Court in Onalaska, Wisconsin in conjunction with a court session. The award, sponsored by Governor Jim Doyle and the State Public Defender’s Office, formally recognizes extraordinary efforts in working with children. Public Defender Board Chair Dan Berkos and Deputy State Public Defender Kelli Thompson are scheduled to present the award.
The La Crosse County Peer Court holds juveniles responsible for “righting” their “wrong.” The program is designed to compel the child to think about what they did wrong and why it was wrong. Jury duty is the program’s chief education tool; being placed in a position where the adolescent has to make a punishment fit an offense, the participants are better able to understand their past behaviors.
“The La Crosse County Peer Court is an effective alternative to the formal juvenile justice system. The kids that participate in the program are given a greater chance at making better decisions in the future. Not only do the kids benefit, but our communities benefit as well,” noted Public Defender Board Chair Dan Berkos.
State Public Defender Nicholas L. Chiarkas added, “Wisconsin gains from the efforts of Wisconsin Cares About Kids Award winners. Recipients such as the La Crosse County Peer Court help to create opportunities for our children to make better choices, thereby setting the kids on track to be productive members of our communities.”
