Giving Back: A Community Service-Learning Manual for Youth Courts

Community service is the most popular sentencing option in most youth courts. This manual from the Constitutional Rights Foundation applies school-based, community service-learning methods to the needs of youth courts for sentencing options for their peers. Available in pdf format in four sections with a total of about 100 pages.

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Teen Courts

Youth Court: A Path to Civic Engagement

From the National Youth Court Center, this Policy Brief examines youth courts as a pathway to civic engagement for youth. Available for download at the American Youth Policy Forum web site. 8 page pdf file.

While you’re here you might want to take a look at the AYPF Publications on Research and Evaluation, see particularly Raising Minority Academic Achievement.

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National Youth Court Database

The National Youth Court Center is updating its national database of youth court programs. To register a youth court or to obtain more information, go to: http://www.youthcourt.net/update_active.htm

Questions? Call 859-244-8193 or email nycc@csg.org.

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Selected Topics on Youth Courts: A Monograph

Six single-topic articles about youth courts are included in this new publication from the National Youth Court Center. Topics include truancy, underage drinking and substance abuse, school-based youth court programs, youth courts in tribal communities, and media access guidelines for youth courts. The complete document is a 116 page pdf file.

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The Link

The latest issue of CWLA’s juvenile justice/child welfare newsletter is on the internet to read or download. Articles of Interest:

• Lawrence Hall Youth Services: Nation’s First Peer Jury in a Child Welfare Agency. 

The link above will take you to not only this issue of the newsletter, but to previous issues as well.

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Strategies for Responding to Truancy in Youth Courts

The latest issue of In Session, the newsletter of the National Youth Court Center, is now online and this is its lead article. If you visit the National Youth Court Center web site you’ll find all kinds of resources, including a list of 25+ downloadable publications and an online training section. The link to the newsletter is on the home page.

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The latest issue of In Session, the newsletter of the National Youth Court Center contains a nice one-page overview of youth courts nationally. At present there are about 900 youth court programs operating in 46 states and D.C.  Details:

• 49% of youth courts are operated by juvenile justice entities; 27% are operated by private, nonprofit organizations; 14% are operated by city or county government offices; and

  7% are operated by schools.

  Types of offenses accepted by youth court programs in 50% or more youth courts include theft, vandalism, alcohol, disorderly conduct, assault, POM (my best guess: possession of marijuana, or maybe, plenty of money?, peace of mind?), Tobacco, Curfew.

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  Youth Court Satellite Videoconference and National Youth Court Month

  The Dept. of Justice will air “Youth Court: A Legal Guide for Getting Involved” via the Justice Television Network on September 25 from 3 to 5 pm. This videoconference will be available for downlink to C/KU satellite users only. I don’t see any indication that it will be available to watch on the Internet. For information and to register online, click here. Sorry for the short notice. I just received notification about the videoconference myself, via email about 2 hours ago. 

  The Dept. of Justice will air “” via the Justice Television Network on September 25 from 3 to 5 pm. This videoconference will be available for downlink to C/KU satellite users only. I don’t see any indication that it will be available to watch on the Internet. Sorry for the short notice. I just received notification about the videoconference myself, via email about 2 hours ago. 

  September is National Youth Court Month. An action kit is available at the National Youth Court Center web site along with grant opportunities, evaluation, scholarship and award opportunities. Click here to link to the National Youth Court web site. 

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  Weed and Seed and Youth Courts

  The contents of the latest issue of In Session, the newsletter of the National Youth Court Center , include the following articles you may find of interest:

  The contents of the latest issue of , the newsletter of the National Youth Court Center , include the following articles you may find of interest:
  • Weed and See and Youth Courts – A Perfect Match

  • Youth Court FAQ

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  Looking for Funding – Community Service Learning – Street Law

  The Fall 2002 volume of In Session, the newsletter of the National Youth Court Center ,  includes a lengthy article on funding, where to find it, and how to get it.  To read and/or download the article click here.

  At the same web site:

  Giving Back  - a new community service-learning manual for youth courts from the Constitutional Rights Foundation. Applies school-based, community service-learning methods to the needs of youth courts.  Completely downloadable at the link.

  Street Law curriculum - law-related education as it relates to youth courts, but certainly OK as a stand alone too. Very large, but can be downloaded a section at a time, or only those sections you’re interested in.

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  The National Youth Court Center at the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) provides training and technical assistance and serves as an information clearinghouse to youth court programs in the United States. Information at that site says that there are more than 730 active youth court programs in United States, with more in the process of development.

  The National Youth Court Center published the National Youth Court Guidelines, a manual "designed to give youth courts direction for developing and operating effective programs." The Guidelines can be downloaded at the site or the hard copy version can be obtained through the National Youth Court Center.

  Also available at the Center’s web site, publications and articles, including the opportunity to see a prepublication version of a new publication, The Role of Restorative Justice in Teen Courts: A Preliminary Look. The site announces regional training opportunities and provides a good source for the exchange of information and ideas.

  Related sites:

  Minnesota Teen Courts - information about teen courts and their operations in the state of Minnesota.

  Charlotte County Teen Court - Web page about the teen court in Punta Gorda, Florida. Includes descriptions of bailiff, clerk, attorney, juror roles, the confidentiality oath, requirements for teen volunteers, and other good information.

  Teen Courts: A Focus on Research - (NCJ 183472) - Examines the popularity of teen courts and cautions that little empirical data exists to evaluate the effectiveness of this peer-centered intervention.  What we have is mostly anecdotal reports. 

  APPA also published Peer Justice and Youth Empowerment: An Implementation Guide for Teen Court Programs. It can be downloaded from NCJRS or ordered  from NCJRS in hard copy as well.  See ordering information at the bottom of this page.

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  Report on the Effectiveness of Youth Courts

   The Urban Institute with support from OJJDP has completed a research report that examines the successes of youth courts at four sites across the country. 

  Recidivism rates for each site were examined at six months following the teen court experience:

   

  In Alaska , six percent of teen court youth were referred again to the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice, compared with 23 percent of the non-teen court youth.

  In Missouri , nine percent of the youth from the Independence Youth Court re-offended within six months, compared with 28 percent of similar youth handled by the Jackson County Family Court.

  In Arizona , the difference in recidivism between teen court youth and youth handled by the regular juvenile justice process favored the teen court programs, but the size of the difference failed to reach statistical significance. Maryland ’s site experienced similar results.

  The report is 58 pages long and downloadable and provides useful information about each teen court’s operation and locations plus appendices. Click on it from the main page. 

  At the National Youth Court Center ’s home page download a brochure describing the ABA ’s Youth Court Youth Volunteer training package. It includes a guide for trainers, youth volunteer handbooks, a video and a CD

  See also the National Youth Court Guidelines, a publication by the National Youth Court Center and APPA (American Probation and Parole Association).  In addition to the formal guidelines this publication is also loaded with handy information and tips.  Downloadable at the site or available in hard copy.

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  Youth Courts: Young People Delivering Justice

  This on-line publication is one of the ABA ’s Road Maps Series, “a series of how-to publications designed to help the community, the bench, and the bar implement change in the justice system.”  This is a good basic manual for persons interested in youth (or teen) courts. It covers structure, funding, legislation, guidelines, how-tos, and a number of examples of working youth courts in a variety of settings.

  Downloadable pdf file; about 40 pages.

  The Roadmaps series are “How to Get There” guides. Each one provides discussion and explanation of the issue, how-to information, research findings, model activities, resources, charts and graphs, and discussion questions. Representative examples of other Road Maps publications you may find of interest: Community Involvement, Racial and Ethnic Bias, Unified Family Courts, ADR, User-Friendly Courts.

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  Web Site of Note: The Illinois Youth Court Association  promotes interagency cooperation and information sharing among the 70 teen-court programs in Illinois. It provides technical assistance to the youth courts and encourages the development of new youth courts. Nine other states have statewide associations for their youth courts: Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin. 

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  Kids, Courts and Communities: Lessons from the Red Hook Youth Court - This youth court program has an active jury. The jurors are expected to take the lead in questioning the offender, not just the facts of the offense, but who the offender is, how he or she is getting along with family and in school, what specifically led to the commission of the offense and what larger problems underlie the misbehavior. The jurors take all they have learned into account to craft a constructive sentence that combines accountability with help. Sentences may include:

  • a truant may be sent to tutor grade schoolers,
  • the jury may order letters of apology to victims or, commonly, to the offender's parents. The number of words are set to match the severity of the crime.
  • attendance at workshops on anger management may be required.

  Members of the court: the judge, bailiff, community advocate, youth advocate, and juror, are expected to rotate through all the roles during their semester-long commitment to the program.

  Read the brief review or scroll down to go to Kids, Courts and Communities,12 pages, a pdf file and downloadable.

  This on-line publication is , “a series of how-to publications designed to help the community, the bench, and the bar implement change in the justice system.”  It covers structure, funding, legislation, guidelines, how-tos, and a number of examples of working youth courts in a variety of settings. . Each one provides discussion and explanation of the issue, how-to information, research findings, model activities, resources, charts and graphs, and discussion questions. Representative examples of pdf file; about 40 pages.. Each one provides discussion and explanation of the issue, how-to information, research findings, model activities, resources, charts and graphs, and discussion questions. Representative examples of This on-line publication is , “a series of how-to publications designed to help the community, the bench, and the bar implement change in the justice system.”  It covers structure, funding, legislation, guidelines, how-tos, and a number of examples of working youth courts in a variety of settings. . Each one provides discussion and explanation of the issue, how-to information, research findings, model activities, resources, charts and graphs, and discussion questions. Representative examples of