H.R. No. 667 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Created in 1983 as an alternative to existing 1-2 juvenile justice programs, the Odessa Teen Court has been a force 1-3 for positive change in the lives of countless young Texans, and it 1-4 is today a subject of intense international interest as a direct 1-5 result of the inspired leadership of its original founder and 1-6 coordinator, the late Natalie Rothstein; and 1-7 WHEREAS, Ms. Rothstein envisioned a special court that would 1-8 enable young people convicted of misdemeanor offenses to clear 1-9 their records by presenting their case to a jury of their peers and 1-10 by then carrying out the community service sentence imposed by the 1-11 jury; and 1-12 WHEREAS, Defendants convicted of such offenses as traffic 1-13 violations or public intoxication plead their case before a jury of 1-14 six other juveniles, who then determine a suitable punishment; 1-15 typically, juries have required defendants to perform volunteer 1-16 work, attend defensive driving classes, participate in a substance 1-17 abuse program, or complete some other task; and 1-18 WHEREAS, Once a defendant successfully serves out the 1-19 sentence imposed by the teen jury, the offense will not appear on 1-20 any record, and, true to Ms. Rothstein's vision, many students who 1-21 have completed the program over the years have transformed their 1-22 lives and even returned to the teen court to volunteer their time 1-23 as attorneys and jury members; and 1-24 WHEREAS, The Odessa Teen Court has proven such a resounding 2-1 success that it has prompted 77 communities in the United States to 2-2 adopt the teen court format and has been featured in many leading 2-3 national and international newspapers, including the New York 2-4 Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Australia's Sydney Sun Herald; 2-5 and 2-6 WHEREAS, Natalie Rothstein's extraordinary concept has indeed 2-7 captured the interest of people around the world as they search for 2-8 new solutions to juvenile justice problems, and her work with the 2-9 Odessa Teen Court has left a legacy that will be carried on for 2-10 many years to come; now, therefore, be it 2-11 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-12 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life and work of Natalie 2-13 Rothstein, whose outstanding contributions have brought new 2-14 opportunities to countless young Texans and whose innovative ideas 2-15 have made this world a better place in which to live, work, and 2-16 learn; and, be it further 2-17 RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared 2-18 for her husband, Bob Rothstein, and for the Odessa Teen Court, and 2-19 that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it 2-20 do so in memory of Natalie Rothstein.