The Red Hook Youth Court is a program in which young people aged 14 to 18 play the roles of judge, jury, defence counsel and prosecutor in the cases of similarly aged peers.
Respondents are referred to the program by the Court, Department of Probation, the New York City Police Department, local schools, and community organisations for offences such as assault, shoplifting, vandalism and truancy.
The Centre for Court Innovation (CCI) launched its first youth court in 1998 as part of the Red Hook Community Justice Centre’s efforts to engage young people. Today, CCI operates youth courts in Harlem, Staten Island, Queens, Brownsville and Newark in New Jersey.
The Youth Court aims to exert positive peer pressure on the respondent to change his or her behaviour, while creating an opportunity for self-reflection.
As the respondents learn accountability for their actions, they also have an opportunity to tell their story, giving them a voice in the process.
The Youth Court mirrors a real adult court with its judge and jury. Source: SBS Dateline
Youth Court members emphasise to the respondent that he or she is a member of our community and that they care about his or her welfare.
The respondent is treated with respect and listened to by each of the members. Many respondents have such a positive experience that they apply to become members of the Youth Court themselves.
Dateline has more on youth justice in New York, including the case of 16-year-old Kalief Browder who was jailed in an adult prison for over three years, most of it in solitary confinement:
What ‘sentences’ can be handed down?
After considering the facts of the case and the respondent’s personal strengths, the jury decides on a fair and appropriate sanction that restores harm done to the community, holds the young person accountable, and assists him or her in avoiding trouble in the future.
These sanctions can range from community service, to attending workshops on anger management, individual counselling and letters of apology to the victims or, where there was no victim, to the offender’s parents.
There is over 90% compliance with the ‘sentence’, which is better than any traditional court.
Dateline's Aaron Lewis films the Youth Court in action. Source: SBS Dateline
What other support does the Youth Court provide?
In addition, the Youth Court process is designed to instill in both members and respondents a positive perception of the criminal justice system, a sense of commitment to their neighborhoods and an improved sense of self-confidence and ability to achieve their goals.
Sanctions and words of encouragement are utilised to address the respondents’ underlying issues and to re-engage them with their education, family and community.
This is facilitated by the wide array of onsite services offered at the Justice Centre, including youth internship programs, individual and group counselling, a high school equivalency program, and much more.
Judge Alex Calabrese at work in the Red Hook Justice Centre. Source: SBS Dateline
Those same services are also available to Youth Court members and any other youth in the community. By providing these opportunities, the Justice Centre creates positive peer role models, enhances the value of education, and reduces the likelihood of future criminal behaviour.
What happens next?
Upon graduation from Youth Court, members continue to serve as role models in their communities, often becoming first generation high school or college graduates, and earning scholarships to prestigious institutions such as Yale University.
Others have achieved their goals through securing employment (including at the Justice Centre), starting careers and becoming leaders within their schools and communities.
These types of success stories are proof that the justice system can play an integral role in not only diverting young people from the wrong path, but in shaping the leaders and role models of tomorrow.
Follow the links above to find out more about New York’s Youth Courts and below to see the full Dateline story:
