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Mar. 22, 2005 The popularity of youth courts is a growing trend in America. The numbers show that over the past fifteen years the number of such programs has grown from 50 in 14 states (30 of which were in Texas) to more than 1200 in 45 states. Many jurisdictions are using this type of adjudication to reduce court costs and juvenile court logjams. These courts are comprised of peer panels that determine the appropriate sentences for teenage defendants in misdemeanor cases. These cases usually involve teens in trouble for vandalism, underage drinking, substance abuse, petty theft and disorderly conduct. The sentences are subject to approval by a juvenile court referee. These sentences are usually comprised of community service (1-200 hours), but may also include jury duty, restitution, apologies, essays, counseling and educational workshops. The objective is not only to show the individual how his or her actions have repercussions, but to reduce the likelihood of the youth entering the system again. For example, a teen who is ordered to appear in youth court for “tagging” (spray painting graffiti) on the wall of a business. The panel may decide that he be sentenced to 50 hours of community service, in this case painting over graffiti. The sentence is then given to a judge for final approval. It turns out that in many cases, youth have been given such sentences only to discover hidden talents. In San Rafael, California such was the case when a tagger was ordered to create a mural on the wall of a day care center . Later, the youth was hired by several local businesses to paint murals on their walls. Participation in these programs not only gives teens a first-hand look at the legal process, but teaches decision-making skills, leadership and encourages those participating to remain involved in civic duty. Classroom credit is also earned. Defendants in said courts must have parental approval. In Colonie, New York the judges, lawyers, jurors and court clerks are all students who have undergone eight weeks of training in their roles. The defendants who appear in this court are first-time offenders who admit to wrongdoing. If a defendant fails to carry out their sentence, he is brought into Juvenile Court to face a harsher penalty as determined by the court referee. In Pima County, Arizona the Teen Court serves as a year-long elective class where the goal is introducing teens to the legal system and civic education. The crimes dealt with by these courts are misdemeanors. This frees up resources such as assistance supplied by the Public Defenders office. Another example is Colonie’s program, which is budgeted at roughly $100,000 a year—roughly the same amount spent to incarcerate a single youth for that duration. For further information contact: National Youth Court Center c/o American Probation and Parole Association P.O. Box 11910 Lexington, KY 40578-1910 Phone: 859-244-8193 Fax: 859-244-8001 Email: nycc@csg.org Website: www.youthcourt.net ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is a 46-year old California native with a wide variety of interests-from fishing to politics, which have a lot in common: Both require you to deal with worms and most of your time is spent idling. He is a former Democrat, believing that Party represents outdated ideas. He is officially registered as an Independent, choosing to keep his options open. Timothy is also the author of more than 80 screenplays and novels, two of which have been "published": "Tempest In The Stone" and "The Malice Of Cain", both available through PublishAmerica. He defines his writing style as "Hip-hop fiction; a cross between Richard Pryor and Richard Wright." His UK columns is written in a hard-edged style, but he is not yet a curmudgeon or a conservative. (Is that redundant?) After all, one of his favorite movies is "The Adventures of Milo and Otis." stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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