Restorative Justice and the Youth Court System
I
mage from WS Police
mage from WS Police- - on 01/03/2014
The
idea that an offender of the law ought to be judged by a court of their
peers is the idea which defines “Youth Court” a legal body consisting
of students of the Senior Secondary and Collegiate level age range to
which I have belonged to for three years. Youth Court is akin to any
other court of law in structure and execution, except for the fact that
everyone who partakes in court proceedings is in the 14-18 age range.
When someone underage is found guilty of a crime, they are taken for
sentencing before a jury of their peers, defended by a team of their
peers, and prosecuted by a team of their peers, in a court which is
overseen by a judge, who, in addition, is usually 17 or 18 years old.
Sentencing is based on the principle of restorative justice, which is a
theory of justice that emphasizes the need of the wrongdoer to repair
the harm caused by his/her criminal behavior. This system avoids
punishment for punishment’s sake and instead seeks restitution and
improvement, both personally and in terms of the community. Youth Court
is a body recognized by the state as an official court of law and is
ingrained in the New York State legal system as a customary measure for
discipline. Despite its eccentricities, Youth Court is renowned as one
of the most effective systems of justice employed for young people, with
a laudable recidivism rate of 5%. This is an especially good indicator
of success when one notes that youth offenders are statistically proven
to revert back to crime after receiving consequences at a rate triple
that of adult offenders.
The Youth Court System in Detail