Ever wonder what type of training our Youth Court Alliance students receive? Wonder what I mean when I talked about Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ?) Read on...
Rethink the Juvenile Justice Process:
Listed below is
an example of a case scenario, which is similar to some of the cases heard in Youth Court Alliance. To get a better understanding of just how
different the Youth COurt Alliance process is from the traditional court system process, read
the scenario and look at the different Outcomes for John.
-Example
Scenario-
John is
constantly missing his first period math class. If he does go, he is always
falling asleep. John doesn’t get a lot of
sleep at night because lately his parents have been fighting every night; he doesn’t want the rest of the students to know that, so he doesn’t say
anything. He doesn’t like the teacher, Mr. Smith, because Mr. Smith makes fun of his inability to stay awake. For instance, when the teacher woke John up last
time, he said: "Maybe if you didn't sleep in class you wouldn't suck at
math." John feels like he is innocent and the teacher is unfairly picking on
him.
Traditional Court system Outcome’s
for John:
John has missed more than three
days consecutively. His parents will be cited to go to court, unless they plead guilty and pay the fine. In court, his parents will undergo scrutiny about the how they get John to school and the Judge may shift the responsibility for the truancy onto John. If this is the case, John will be fined and/or his chances of obtaining a license will be suspended. Failure to pay the fine could follow John into adulthood and show up on his credit record.
In the court system, John has
broken a rule and must pay the consequences. He will never be given the chance
to explain his side of the story. If he does, he is explaining his story to an adult who is far removed from the daily goings on of a school.
The problem that made John late
to class in the first place will never be addressed nor will a solution come
about. His parents will still fight (unless they change something), he continue to sleep poorly, and will struggle stay awake in class. Further, he will have to somehow pay the fine.
John will have to find a way to
deal with his truancy on his own, without knowledge of the resources around him to help him.
Youth
Court Alliance (Restorative) Outcome’s for John:
John
has missed three or more consecutive days of school, so he’s being referred to
Youth Court Alliance, where he and his parents have to sit in front of a group
of John's peers.
John
will be asked questions about why he is truant. This is where he can give
his side of the story.
The
Jurors will be able to assist John in confronting his parents and the math
teacher.
Youth Court Alliance will recommend programs to help John, (Family-group counseling,
teacher-student meeting, tutoring), instead of making him pay a fine.
The Jurors will have to give John at least one session of Jury Duty where he will sit with the Youth Court Alliance members and hear cases just like his. This is to help him understand that all actions have consequences - while he may not be FULLY at fault for sleeping in class, he must take responsibility and give back his time. It will also help him understand the effects that people's actions have on others as he hears the cases of other students in his school.
Once successfully completing the Youth Court
Alliance process, John will have the chance to become a Member of Youth Court Alliance, and
help others like he was helped.
If you're a parent, where would you rather send your child? Better yet, if this was YOU, where would you rather go?
