When kids judge kids
A courtroom full of 12- to 17-year-olds deciding the fate of another juvenile … sounds like an episode of Nickelodeon’s wacky “Kids Court” instead of a decade-old student-volunteer program in Tigard. But where the 1980s TV show used audiences of screaming children to make the “Judge-o-meter” land on the appropriate verdict, the Tigard Police Department’s Youth Peer Court program is a bit more sophisticated.
What is youth peer court?
Twice a month, a jury of middle-school and high-school students — along
with teenage bailiffs and attorneys — convenes in Tigard City Hall’s
Municipal Court to hear the pleas of fellow youths who broke the law and
serve them justice. Although a residing judge has final authority over
the punishment, it’s the room full of juveniles who listen to the
offender’s story, ask questions and recommend the sentencing.
“We have a 1 percent reoffend rate — which means 99 percent of kids who come through the program don’t get in trouble again,” said Sheryl Huiras, youth programs manager for the Tigard Police Department. “And about half of the kids who volunteer to participate in the program first come in as offenders.”
The youth peer court started in 1997 and has heard over 300 cases from juvenile offenders. Besides being almost entirely run by kids, the peer court differs from the Juvenile Justice System in that only first-time offenders can be tried, the punishment tends to be a bit lighter (including requiring delinquents to later serve on the peer court jury), and defendants’ records are wiped clean once they complete their sentences.
Who can it help?
“It’s a great opportunity for the people on trial,” said 15-year-old
Alexander Carsh. “Most of them are good kids who just made a mistake in
their life, and hopefully this steers them clear of doing it again.”
Carsh joined youth peer court about two years ago after hearing about it from friends, and said he’s watched the program turn around several juveniles headed down the wrong path. “For instance, you’ll see kids on trial that don’t seem to care about what they did,” he said. “But because they have to serve on jury after getting tried, when they come back they seem to be nicer, more fair and want to participate. And sometimes the kid on trial is a little more open because we are kids too and understand where they are coming from. They might say what they were thinking when they did what they did.”
According to Huiras, the program offers educational opportunities for teenagers interested in criminal justice in addition to giving first-time juvenile offenders a second chance. “We proceed using grand jury style, which means all the kids who sit on the jury are the ones who ask the defendant questions,” she said. “That way everybody participates.”
Carsh said since he started volunteering in youth peer court, he’s gained knowledge in criminal justice he couldn’t get from reading a book. “It helped me learn about law and civics,” he said. “It also helped me learn how to be fair and impartial. Sometimes it’s hard to be fair (especially if you know the person on trial) but I’ve learned to work it out.”
Crash course in criminal justice
Some might wonder, though, are juveniles responsible enough to serve a
sentence to another juvenile without formal training? According to
Huiras, youth peer court hears only first-time misdemeanors and
violations so the sentencing isn’t that severe. Plus, the kids go
through a crash course before participating in a courtroom setting.
Teenagers who play the role of attorney go through a five-hour training session with a peer court judge and learn everything from court room procedures to how to cross examine and build a case. They then shadow experienced student volunteers for about a month before presenting a case on their own. “And, of course, they have guidelines of what they can sentence,” Huiras added.
Punishment can include up to 40 hours of community service, a letter of apology, restitution of damaged property, attending a self-esteem workshop and participating in the jury at least once. “The kids are pretty good at what they think a fair punishment should be,” Huiras said. “There are some kids who come through the program as offenders who aren’t honest, and the jury can tell.”
Leah Weissman
11` Septembr 2008
http://www.tualatintimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=122109692208377100
