Government and Non-Government Tax Supported Teen Court Programs
There are three types of supported teen court programs. The first is a program that operates either entirely or almost entirely as a result of government funding, which, of course, is at the tax payers expense. This funding may be on a federal, state, county , or city level or a combination. The second program operates with little or no government support, thereby saving the taxpayer's money, which can be used for other worthwhile methods, such as increasing law enforcement personnel for the safety and welfare of the general public. The third type is a marriage of both., however, just like in real life, when there is a separation or divorce, the young suffer when the funding and support stops.
This article is intended to provide opposing view points dealing with teen court programs that are operated at tax payers expense in comparison to being operated at the expense of the referred defendants. This article is not intended to indicate that tax supported teen court programs should or should not be used. That is the decision that should be made by tax payers and those elected and appointed officials to decide. This article is designed to explain various view points on this matter.
History has shown that tax supported programs, in general, funded through government grants may or may not be operated successfully, depending on their operation and purpose. History has also shown that once the taxpayer's money used for the government funding is no longer provided for a particular project, good or bad, the project in most cases ceases to operate. One only needs to listen to other people talk or to read the local newspapers on a daily basis to learn that on a number of occasions government funded programs are questioned in the way that they are operating, regardless of the country it operates in. There are already a number of publications that reveal, disclose, or expose a variety of programs that are sometimes called "pork programs" because of the amount of tax payers' money that is being used for projects deemed worthless, overpaid, or in some other way revealed as costing taxpayers too much money for little or no justifiable results.
There's an old story about a request by a civilian corp engineer working on a project that was behind schedule. He asked for more shovels for the extra men he had. Instead of getting the shovels, he received a letter telling him to have the extra men lean on the same shovels that the other men were leaning on.
In reviewing some programs, for example, facts may show that the staff, employees, and other operating expenses take up a great deal of the funding, with very little going to the people that the program was intended to help. They say that this is very common in developing or underdeveloped countries. For example, a truck load of food may be sent, but the poor people at the bottom of the ladder may only get a few grains of rice. The point is, however, that government funded programs may not necessarily be corrupt, as implied in some countries, in order for it to fail to successfully provide the services it was intended to provide to a greater mass of people. The methods of operations may not be appropriate or the best used for the purposes that are trying to be accomplished. During the past year, it was recalled that an individual in a $60,000.00 program expected to receive a $42,000 salary, which left very little else for other expenses and for the services to be provided to a very small number of individuals.
It is a question of accountability. If an individual in a program, organization, or company is paid a salary of $250,000.00 a year, he may be a bargain. If he is providing the same results as that of 20 individuals each being paid $30,000.00 a year, then he has accomplished the same results at a savings of $350,000.00. On the other hand, if these same individuals are being paid $40,000.00 a year, the savings is $950,000.00 or almost one million dollars. Is this a wild example? No!. Is it really possible for this to happen? Yes!
In addition, a salary savings of $350,000.00 also represents an additional savings of $26,500 in tax expenses. In the second example of $950,000 in savings, over $70,000.00 would be saved through reduced tax expenses. There are, of course, other expenses that are saved, but it is sufficient to say that between a quarter of a million dollars and a million dollars is a very reasonable amount of money to save anyone in the above example.
Today and for many years, there has already been serious considerations to making prisoners work and pay for their upkeep. In some localities, for example, prisoners raise crops used to feed them. In other areas, work is performed in a variety of areas, from computer work, telemarketing, and much more. The issue, here, is that taxpayers are tired of providing room and board, TVs, air conditioning, and other niceties, to a criminal element that has done everything it could to deprive the taxpayers of their right to the better things in life, through vandalism, thefts, assaults, murder and other crimes. Consequently, the government, at the request and demands of tax payers, is finding alternative methods for supporting projects or programs without placing additional tax burdens on society. Methods which are realistic and logical in their use.
In the real business world, so to speak, if a business does not operate successfully, it eventually goes broke or closes down before going broke. Competition operating with low overhead and providing the services or products that are needed to the most clients possible will succeed and continue to operate. Those that don't, eventually, become extinct like the dinosaurs. On the other hand, when a government project or program fails to operate in a cost efficient manner, the tax payers are expected to foot the bill through increased taxes or lower benefits. There a now a number of operations or projects that were previously operated by government agencies that are now either partially or completely operated by private industry. If the post office operated to the full satisfaction of the public, there would not have been an opportunity for such companies as the United Parcel Service (UPS), Federal Express, and others to startup and become as successful as they have. Mind you, this is not a personal attack on the post office, for I am quite happy and glad that it exists.
Society, of course, must do all that it can to provide preventive methods to young people before they become adult problems which the tax payers must support. Teen court programs not only provide such a method, but can be very successful in doing so. This does not mean, however, that society must foot the bill in doing so. Let's take, for example, defensive driving. Adults and teenagers alike may take a defensive driving course at a privately owned driving school for the purpose of having traffic violations dismissed. Look in the yellow pages of any major city's phone book under driving schools and you will see a number of locations, but you will not see one with the slogan, "Come to this school, it's free and government funded through taxpayer's money for the purpose of dismissing your ticket by receiving training from a government employee paid by your tax dollar."
If you look in the phone book in San Antonio, Texas, for example, you will find over 50 locations for driving schools. Some of them use advertisements as big as a half page of the yellow pages. One half page ad advertises that you can take care of your ticket the easy way by taking home a video that is a state approved driver safety course and that you can see in the comfort of your own home. Another half page ad advertises the quickest, fastest, funest (not funniest) way to dismiss your traffic ticket in a state approved course, while also receiving a free pass to a comedy club. A smaller ad promotes ticket dismissal comedy classes by comedian instructors at a local prominent hotel.
It appears that society through its elected and/or appointed officials made it possible for individuals, adults and teenagers alike, to have their traffic tickets dismissed, but not at the expense of tax payers. In fact, laws made it possible for creative entrepreneurs to make a profit at the expense of individuals breaking the law, while making the lawbreakers accountable for their actions.
Can teen court programs operate without government funding of large or small grants? Yes. Would it be nice for the government to provide a reasonable grant to start a teen court program? Yes. Should the teen court program funded by the grant be accountable? Yes, but all teen court programs should be accountable, not only the ones funded at the expense of tax payers. Should one teen court program be provided $100,000.00 a year to provide service to 10 or 12 teenagers a month, while another receives the same amount to provide service to 40 a month? What do you think? Should one teen court program receive $60,000 a year to service 20 teenagers a month, while another teen court receives no money but services 60 students a month? What do you think?
Should a teen court program be given a grant of $100,000.00 a year to operate a teen court program for nine months a year while another program receives no money and operates all year? Can you explain why one government supported teen court program needs a grant of $100,000.00 a year to operate a teen court program servicing 20 teenagers a month, while another teen court program with no government funding is capable of providing more services to over 20 teenagers a week and in less than 6 hours each week? Can you explain why one teen court program needs more money to operate a forty hour program that can not provide a better success rate than one that needs less than 10 hours to service more teenagers than the first?
Are government grants encouraged for the use to start teen court programs? Yes. Are government grants expected to sustain teen court programs for years to come? No, not by most tax payers. Can there be a compromise in the method of support? Certainly. For example, after the initial funding, a teen court program that is working with one or more courts that is referring teenagers may find it possible for the teen court program to continue using the courtroom and other facilities or equipment while the regular court is not in session. Can there be a breakup in this marriage of compromise? Yes, historically, once the funding stopped, supporters of the teen court programs have found themselves out in the cold. In addition, some programs were not allowed to co-exist as a result of politics. Some politicians prefer to use other programs operated by their political supporters or other individuals with ties to them, such as relatives or close friends.
Are teen court programs gaining popularity? Yes, and one major reason for that is that local governments see teen courts as a source of grant money that can be used in their area. Is this reason more important than the teen court program's ability to provide a better success rate in dealing with juvenile crime than has occurred in the regular court system.? Yes, for some it is. How can this be proven? Simply look at all the programs that have received funding and then see how many of them are still operating after the funding has stopped.
Is it possible to receive public support from elected or appointed officials, but not receive actual support from them? Absolutely. Officials, such as judges, for example, may tell the public that the teen court program is a great program that is beneficial for the teenagers and the public at large. They, however, then fail to refer teenagers to the program by either dismissing violations without punishing the teenagers, fining the parents, or by referring them to a simple community service program in which the city or county receives free labor from minor children.. The minors provide community service for a day or two and learn that they can have their violations dismissed by simply working at a city or county facility for a few hours. How many of these teenagers repeat offending society and return to the court system after learning that there is no major correction program that will encourage them to stop violating the law? Apparently, quite a few, otherwise, the juvenile and adult crime rate would not be what it is today.
Bottom line questions....Should the government be discouraged from funding teen court programs? No, the government should be encouraged to continue funding start up grants. Should the existing government employees operating teen court programs be dismissed, fired, or laid off to prevent the use of tax payers money for programs that should be and can be paid for by the referring teenagers as are defensive driving programs? No, however, the court systems are over loaded with cases, and more funds on a continuous basis should be provided the court system to handle cases. It has already been shown that teen court programs can operate very successfully in a minimum of hours. Under that scenario, it would be possible to shift the work load of existing teen court employees to different work within the court system and paid through the court's funds, while still providing a successful teen court program. In addition, if the work load actually justified the salary of the teen court personnel, then there would be no questions as to the need for such personnel. Should the operation of teen courts independent from government funding be encouraged? Yes, they already exist and have proven successful. In addition, they are further encouraged to develop under non-profit programs and not as for profit companies such as the defensive driving schools are.
Speech given by Dr. Paul Omaji of Australia at August 99 Conference
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