The role of restorative justice in
Teen Courts: A preliminary look.
Twenty years later, with Self still on the job, more than 7,800 at-risk youth have gone through Sarasota's
Teen Court. About 200 students volunteet annually as "attorneys" and "jurors," and many of them have gone on to law school.
Teen courts like the Colonie Youth Court have flourished in America.
"The four models normally used in youth courts are adult judge, youth judge, youth tribunal and peer jury," explains Peggy Calliham, who oversees a local
teen court in College Station, Texas, as the city's community programs coordinator.
If peer pressure contributes to juvenile delinquency, some experts believe that it can be redirected to become a force that leads juveniles into lawabiding behavior, according to the Federal Probation article, "
Teen Court: Juvenile Ju stice for the 21st Century?"
Youth Volunteer - Ingrid Cruz, a senior at Churchill High School, was nominated by Eugene
Teen Courts. Ingrid serves the
Teen Court as a case presenter, juror or as clerk, helping to conduct hearings for first-time juvenile offenders.
Teen courts, which aim to involve youth in the judicial process while transforming the negative actions of a small group of first-time, non-violent youthful offenders into positive outcomes for the entire community, are on the rise throughout the country.
This paper reports findings from the Evaluation of
Teen Courts Project, which studied
teen courts in Alaska, Arizona, Maryland, and Missouri.
Past recipients of the Medal of Honor Award for a nonlawyer include Kathleen "Katie" Self of Sarasota for her pioneering work in the implementation of
teen courts across Florida and volunteering her services in establishing the
Teen Court of Sarasota; Elizabeth Lander "Budd" Bell of Tallahassee for over four decades of volunteer advocacy to improve the lives of Florida's children, elderly, and disabled; and Dr.
In all, United Way of Lane County honored seven community volunteers for their extraordinary efforts, including Bob Bury of Birth to Three, Kevin Watts of Churchill High School, Corinne Standefer of Lane Memorial Blood Bank, Brett Deedon of Eugene
Teen Courts and Dave Predeek of Friends of Buford Park & Mount Pisgah.
Youth courts, comprising
teen courts, peer juries, peer courts, student courts, and other courts wherein juveniles sentence juvenile respondents, have rapidly gained popularity.
Initiatives range from city meetings in Boston where adults aren't allowed to speak to "
teen courts" in Dallas where young people mete out the justice.