Resources and Information about Youth Courts Nationwide |
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How can we start a youth court program? National Youth Court Guidelines by Tracy M. Godwin, American Probation and Parole Association (2000). Developed by the National Youth Court Center, these guidelines will assist all models of youth courts in developing policy and implementing practices that promote accountability and integrity. Topics include: program planning and community mobilization, program staffing and funding, legal issues, the referral process, volunteer recruitment and training, case management, and program evaluation. The Center is also compiling a compendium of resources to assist in the implementation of the guidelines. Available from the National Youth Court Center, APPA, P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578-1910, Fax: 606-244-8001. email: nycc@csg.org. Peer Justice and Youth Empowerment: An Implementation Guide for Teen Court Programs (#NCJ162782) by Tracy M. Godwin, American Probation and Parole Association (1996). A free 200+ page comprehensive guide to what youth courts are and how to create them. The manual provides program organizers with baseline information on developing, implementing, and enhancing teen court programs within their jurisdictions. Rather than endorsing one particular model of teen court, this manual provides program organizers with a general overview of issues to consider and guides them through a decision-making process for the implementation of a teen court program that fits local needs. Sample forms and other helpful resources also are included as supplementary materials. Includes chapters on how to organize the community; legal issues to address; developing the program purpose, goals, and objectives; determining a target population and designing a referral process; designing program services; designing a program model and procedures and implementing effective case management practices; recruiting, using, and training volunteers; examining human and financial resource issues; and program evaluation. To obtain your free copy of the Guide call the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, 1-800-638-8736, or go to www.ncjrs.org/peerhome.html
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention publishes a number of related books. Contact:
American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) offers a training seminar for establishing or enhancing
youth court programs. For more information, contact: Other useful resources:
For a youth volunteer educational/training package:
For information about lawyer/law student recruitment for youth courts:
For information about funding, training, and technical assistance: Where can I contact some of the youth court programs described by WKCD? For a national directory of youth courts, information about youth court training and technical assistance, and much more, contact:
National Youth Court Center A brief description of the Center’s services and partnerships is available in National Youth Court Center (OJJDP Fact Sheet May 2000 #07) by Mistene Vickers. Available at http://www.ncjrs.org/jjfact.htm#courts or through the OJJDP Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at (800) 638-8736 (#FS-200007). In addition, for information about the youth courts cited in this WKCD story, contact:
Oregon Youth Court Association
362 N. Third Avenue Stayton, OR 97383 (503) 769-5749 fax (503) 769-6408
Program Coordinator LeAnn Opal Chaney, 121 West Fireweed Lane, Suite 240, Anchorage AK 99503 lchaney@citci.com (907) 278-1165 Fax (907 278-1121 What curriculum resources are available that relate to youth court issues? Many youth courts are generous in sharing copies of their bylaws, training manuals, forms, and other helpful information with those who contact them. For example:
Street Law, Inc. develops student-centered, interactive, law-related lessons that deal with topics for
which young people frequently are arrested and referred to Youth Courts. A sentencing resource for youth court programs.
National Center for Conflict Resolution Education
National Center for Community Mediation Community Service Education Curriculum from Street Law, Inc. (2000). These law-related education lessons are linked to the most common offenses for which youth are referred to youth courts. They can serve a part of the disposition for offenses such as assault/fighting, substance abuse, theft/shoplifting, and vandalism/trespass. The manual includes guidance for incorporating interactive law-related education teaching strategies for the lessons. For more information, please contact Maureen Meyer at Street Law, Inc., 1600 K St., NW, Suite 602, Washington, DC 20007, Fax: 202-293-0089, email mmeyer@streetlaw.org Anchorage Youth Court Law Class. A 142-page manual used to train Tribunal Model court participants in a seven-week course. Topics addressed are the court system; roles of the adult, juvenile, and youth courts; responsibilities of various youth court officers; researching the law; interviewing and preparing witnesses; juvenile rights; ethics; case preparation; sentencing options; mock hearing; a glossary; and much more. There is also a 75-page advanced training packet focusing on the levels of criminal courts, the criminal process, the roles of the officers of Youth Court, defining and locating statutes, and investigating and preparing a case. Each manual is available, in limited quantities, from Anchorage Youth Court, P. O. Box 102735, Anchorage, AK 99510, (907) 274-5986.
Knox County Teen Court (Galesburg, Illinois) Northeast Law/Public Service and Military Magnet High School: School Court Project by Karen Birgam (1992). This 92-page manual provides the rationale and factual content of the two-semester course. Topics include the school court rules; courtroom procedure; outlines for the opening statement, direct examination, cross-examination, and closing argument; sample scripts, evaluation forms, and role-play critique sheets for participants in the court hearings; school court forms; and a court organization review outline. Availlable in limited quantities from Millie Aulbur, The Missouri Bar, P. O. Box 119, Jefferson City, MO 65101-3158, (573) 635-4128, email millea@mobar.org Youth Court Training Manual by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Spina Jr. and Federal Judge David R. Homer, New York (1996). A 65-page (plus appendices) manual used in the 10-week training program for participants in The Colonie Youth Court (Youth Judge Model). Includes the organization, jurisdiction, and operation of Youth Court; types of offenses and sentencing issues; roles of the participants in the sentencing hearing; rules of evidence; and consequences of offenses. Appendices include state penal law and vehicle and traffic law, forms, and an overview of the criminal justice system. Available (free) in limited quantities from Violet Colydas, Director, The Colonie Youth Courts, Public Safety Building, 312 Wolf Road, Latham, NY 12110, (518) 782-2638. National Youth Court Youth Volunteer Educational/Training Package (2001—in development). The American Bar Association is creating a package consisting of youth volunteer handbooks, an instructor’s guide, and a brief videotape. The volunteer handbooks (for adult judge, youth judge, tribunal, and peer jury models) will provide an overview of the youth court experience, covering such topics as the justice system, understanding the balanced restorative justice approach, conducting a hearing, and deliberating on a disposition. The instructor’s guide will assist facilitators in planning an effective educational/training program and provide lessons on the topics addressed in the youth handbooks. The video will provide an overview of youth courts and highlight the learning opportunities and outcomes they provide. For information, contact: ABA Division for Public Education, 541 N. Fairbanks Ct., Chicago, IL 60611-3314 (ATTN: P. Nessel), email pnessel@staff.abanet.org Teen Court in the United States: A Profile of Current Programs (OJJDP Fact Sheet October 1999 #118) by Jeffrey Butts, Dean Hoffman, and Janeen Buck. A brief summary of the results of a survey of youth courts conducted by the Urban Institute of Washington, D.C. in late 1998. Available at http://www.urban.org/authors/butts2.html or through the OJJDP Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at (800) 638-8736 (#FS-99118). Videotapes How Teen Court Gave Me Another Chance. (1998) 26 minutes. Describes the Knox County Teen Court (Adult Judge Model) and documents how two high school students created their award-winning youth court Web site. To order, contact Knox County Teen Court, 55 W. Tompkins St., Galesburg, IL 61201-4400. Cost: $25.00. Odessa Teen Court. (1993) 11 minutes. Describes the Adult Judge Model youth court. To order, contact Tammy Hawkins, Odessa Teen Court, Municipal Court, 201 N. Grant Avenue, Odessa, TX 79761, (915) 335-3352. Cost: $25.00. World in Action: Boys and Girls of the Jury. (1996) 25 minutes. A British television program that examines an Adult Judge Model youth court in Sarasota, Florida, and considers whether youth courts would be effective in Great Britain. To order, contact Kathleen Self, Sarasota, FL 34230-5927, (941) 951-4278. Cost: $12.00. Youth Court: A National Movement. (1998) 2 hours. Hosted by OJJDP Administrator Shay Bilchik, this tape of a satellite teleconference examines models of youth courts from three parts of the nation—The Colonie, New York; Odessa, Texas; and Oakland, California. To order, call OJJDP’s Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at (800) 638-8736. Cost $17.00 (product #NCJ171149) What do studies show about the effects of participation in youth courts? The American Bar Association’s Technical Assistance Bulletin Number 17 (1998) contains evaluations of the effectiveness of teen courts in various states and nationwide, For a copy, call the Division for Public Education 312-988-5735 or email abapubed@abanet.org.
Youth Courth Extensions More about the Harlem Youth Court A WKCD interview with mentor Jabari Osaze Hear audio clips of Harlem Youth Court members Resources and information on youth courts nationwide Read more of this WKCD feature story, "Making Peace, Restoring Justice" |