Circuit Court

 

How can juvenile offenders be taught the consequences of their actions and the impact that crime has on victims?

Edie Barnard thinks video may be the answer.

As executive director of the nonprofit Studio E, she is teaching troubled teens how to shoot and edit a documentary on crime, complete with interviews of those who live and work with it every day.

"What we found is that the minute they start doing these interviews you can hear a pin drop. They have interviewed a woman who was shot seven times at close range, someone who lost a child to gun violence and someone who lost a sister to a drunk driver," said Barnard.  "They've been gathering hours of footage from victims, prosecutors, detectives and a judge."

That judge is Robin Vannoy.

Three young men, under the jurisdiction of the St. Louis County Family Court, recently spent an afternoon in Judge Vannoy's courtroom in the Civil Courts Building asking questions about her experiences on the bench dealing with crime victims.

"Television makes everything seem surreal but having these kids interview someone who had a loved one die in a violent crime, I think that would have a real impact on them," said Judge Vannoy.  "It's always difficult with teenagers, they're sort of complicated to begin with, but these guys were very engaging and asking some really good questions."

The working title of their documentary is "Victims' Voices."  So far the 17 juveniles who have worked on the project have shot eight hours of footage and will learn how to edit that into a half-hour program, which will get aired on the educational channel HEC-TV.

Officials at the county family court evaluate the effectiveness of their juvenile programs and Barnard says the experience of making this video is getting across the board praise from the kids.

And from her too.

"Professionally and personally this has been one of the most fulfilling projects I have ever been involved with."

 

Circuit Court

City of St. Louis