When Did Making Adults Mad Become A Crime?
Judge Steven Teske |
TEDxTaraBlvd
• February 2021
When Did Making Adults Mad Become A Crime? How School-Justice Partnerships Can Reduce Juvenile Crimes
In 2003, Judge Steven Teske convened stakeholders in his county to create the nation’s first School-Justice Partnership (SJP) designed to dismantle zero-tolerance policies that increased school-based arrests by 2,700 percent of which 92 percent involved typical adolescent behaviors. During this increase, the graduation rates declined significantly, and simultaneously the juvenile crime rate dramatically increased,
Using a Collective Decision-Making Approach, Judge Teske engaged his fellow stakeholders to develop an Inter-Branch Agreement that prohibited the arrest of students on campus and referring them to juvenile court. The essential element of this model included the implementation of positive interventions, including restorative practices to include victims and educational programming to equip the students with specific tools related to minimizing the risk of future disruptive behavior.
Since its implementation, graduation rates have significantly increased while simultaneously juvenile crime rates significantly decreased. Students of color are no longer disproportionately arrested on campus and are graduating at a higher rate than before the SJP implementation. Using empirical studies and medical science, Judge Teske explains why the SJP is the most effective approach to reducing crime in any community. The model has been replicated in many States and North Carolina has passed legislation mandating its development statewide.
Judge Steven C. Teske is the Chief Judge of the Juvenile Court of Clayton County & serves regularly as a
Superior Court Judge by designation. Appointed as a juvenile judge in 1999, Teske earned his bachelor's,
master's, and Juris Doctor degrees from Georgia State University. He was a Chief Parole Officer in
Atlanta, Deputy Director of Field Services of the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles & a trial
attorney in the law firm of Boswell & Teske LLP. He also served as a Special Assistant Attorney General
prosecuting child abuse & neglect cases & representing state employees & agencies in federal & state
court cases. Teske is a past president of the Council of Juvenile Court Judges and Governor appointee to the Children & Youth
Coordinating Council, Commission on Family Violence & the Governor's Office for Children and Families. He has published many
articles on juvenile reform & sits on the advisory board of the Southern Crescent Habitat For Humanity.