The Peer Jury is a program that operates within the City of Ottawa Police Department. It is designed to provide a corrective and consequential system of dealing with selected juvenile offenders under 17 years of age. The jury does not determine guilt or innocence. Its purpose is to require the juvenile offender to account for their behavior by appearing before a jury of their peers.
A case is only sent to the Peer Jury for a hearing by a jury of juveniles and an adult moderator when the following criteria is met:
The offender admits having committed the accused offense.
The arresting officer determines that such a disposition (Peer Jury Program) is appropriate for the offense.
The offender and their parent or guardian consent, in writing, to such a disposition.
The offender and their parent or guardian MUST sign the Waiver of Liability and Confidentiality.
When all of these conditions are met, the offender and their parent or guardian are scheduled for a hearing before the Peer Jury panel on a specific date and time at the Ottawa Police Department. At this hearing, a police officer reads the charges, informs the offender of the possible punishments, which could be given to an adult offender, and summarizes the facts of the case from the arresting officer's report. The members of the Peer Jury panel then question the offender. After this questioning, the offender and their parent or guardian leave the room while the jury deliberates and determines an appropriate sentence (punishment). The sentence may include any one or combination of punishments including the ordering community service, monetary restitution, written letters of apology to the victim(s) of the crime, essays, strict curfews and the possibility of the offender being a future juror on the Peer Jury.
The offender and their parent or guardian are then called back into the room and told of the sentence that has been imposed. During this sentencing, there can be adjustments made due to any scheduling conflicts. Also, a completion date is established. A written copy of this sentence is given to the offender and a date is set (usually 30 days later) for a discharge hearing.
Upon completion of any community service that has been assigned, a report of the offender's performance is forwarded to one of the coordinators by the supervisor where the service was completed. Any other assignments that were part of the sentence must also be completed and turned in to the coordinator before a discharge hearing can take place.
At the discharge hearing, the offender and their parent or guardian are again required to attend. The Peer Jury panel, which may or may not be the same as the sentencing panel, reviews the offender's performance and questions the offender about their experiences while performing the sentence. If satisfactory, the offender is discharged and they will not proceed into the Juvenile Justice System of LaSalle County. The discharge hearing may be continued or the offender remanded back to the original arresting officer for an appropriate disposition.
Peer Jury Frequently Asked Questions
For additional information on the City of Ottawa Peer Jury Program, contact Peer Jury Coordinators Sgt. Robert Anderson or Ofc. Louis Riva at (815)433-2131.
