MTV series to feature state juvenile offenders

More than a dozen Indiana teens will have the chance of reaching Kelly Clarkson, Andrew Firestone or Omarosa status -- not by their talents or looks, but by breaking the law. \nIn the truest sense of the expression "reality television," MTV will air an eight-week documentary series this summer called "MTV Juvies," based on 16 juvenile offender cases in Lake County, Ind., from the moment police take the teens into custody until they have attended their final hearings. \nThough many lower courts in Indiana do not permit cameras to record proceedings, the production company and MTV petitioned the Indiana Supreme Court for a waiver. After nine years of outlining the documentary, establishing the mission of the project and submitting a petition, Chief Justice Randall Shepard granted them access in writing. \nLake County Juvenile Court Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura, who benched the 16 hearings, said she decided to participate in the documentary because Calamari Productions had received the access permission from Chief Justice Shepherd. Because Bonaventura had participated in one other Calamari documentary about child abuse and neglect, she trusted the producers and accepted the request. \nGetting used to the cameras was an adjustment, she said. At one point, she even considered pulling the project, concerned it might trivialize the "good work" she believes the juvenile court continually does. \n"In the beginning of each of the hearing days, for about the first three minutes, I was very aware of the lights and the crew," she said. "But they didn't get in the way of my vision as far as seeing the kids fairly. Once the hearing got going, I was focusing on what my job is."\nBonaventura said she hopes the exposure of the juvenile court goings-on will forewarn young MTV viewers of making missteps like the documentary participants. She said she never would have allowed the documentary if she had felt the project would exploit the juveniles. Instead, she said she believes audiences will know the difference between the content of shows like "The Real World" and "MTV Juvies." \nKaren Grau, a former Indianapolis journalist and the creator of the documentary, agreed with Bonaventura's sentiment. \n"The difference is this really is real," she said. "A lot of reality programming is scripted and staged, knowing exactly how each episode is going to be produced. That's impossible for this project." \nGrau said because this is a documentary, she was unaware of who the series participants would be until the filming actually began. \nThe documentary does not obscure the teens' faces or change their names, she said. Participants granted the production company permission to follow them through the judicial process, she said. \n"And even then, we were not allowed to (film them) unless we got a written release from their parents," she added. \nCalamari Productions won't release the names of the teens before MTV airs the series. \nDave Sirulnick, executive vice president of MTV Multiplatform Production, News and Music, said he believes the series has entertainment value. \n"Our audience has responded strongly to programs that cover social issues ... that affect young people's lives," he said. \nA press release from MTV described the series as a "gritty and tense documentary that illustrates what happens when kids, who have never had a brush with the law, find out their choices have real consequences ... Their lives and their future are at the hands of a sole judge."\nBut Grau said she believes "MTV Juvies" serves a greater purpose. \n"This is a form of public service," she said. "These are everyone's kids. It doesn't matter what your race, religion, ethnicity is, this can happen to anyone. And it's pretty common, too. I mean, high school parties get busted up for minor consumption all the time."\nBonaventura has not yet viewed the documentary. In fact, she won't see it until MTV televises it. \n"We're all our own worst critics," she said. "I hope I represent the court well and don't come off sounding stupid. I guess I'll just have to watch with one eye closed"