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It's January 30th, 2007, in northeastern Pennsylvania.

In a hallway outside a juvenile courtroom, Jessica Van Rieeth is pacing anxiously,

clutching a small piece of paper. County Courthouse is full of teenagers and their parents,

all waiting for their turn in front of a judge. Some of the kids are engaged in heated arguments

with their parents, while others are sitting on benches, completely silent, and looking terrified.

But if there's one thing all these families have in common, it's that no one seems happy to be here.

It's a feeling Jessica Van Rieeth can relate to. Van Rieeth is 16 years old,

in a junior at a nearby public high school. She has a reputation for being confident and outspoken,

the kind of teenager who isn't afraid to speak her mind, where what she wants to,

or argue with people about politics. Van Rieeth knows she can sometimes come off as a bit sharp,

but that's only a small part of who she really is. Van Rieeth is a good student with a solid GPA,

and on top of all the academics, she's held a part-time job for the last two years,

working as a waitress at a local Italian place. All in all, Van Rieeth sees herself as a pretty

normal teenager, which is why this whole experience has been so stuporifying. In a few minutes,

Van Rieeth has to defend herself against criminal charges. It all started a few months ago,

when she was caught by her vice principal holding a lighter and a pipe used to smoke weed.

When the vice principal caught her, Van Rieeth didn't know what to say. The pipe and lighter

belonged to her friend, but she didn't want to get them in trouble. So Van Rieeth took the blame,

but she didn't just get a slap on the wrist. She was charged with a crime, and now she has to appear

in juvenile court in front of Judge Mark Chivorella, known for his policy of zero tolerance,

...