The verdict is in: Youth court is right thing to do

Recently, some people around town have been asking, “Should we create a youth court?”

When I was asked by the Rockford Public Schools to bring together local leaders to investigate best practices and discuss creating a youth court, I didn’t know much about it. For the last year, I have been reading about youth courts across the country and learning about successful restorative justice initiatives for youth. I have visited youth courts and spoken with people around the state of Illinois and the country who are making a difference in the lives of at-risk young people.

I have learned there are more than 1,000 youth courts in the U.S., and 29 Illinois counties are operating more than 100 youth courts, including the Harlem Teen Peer Court right here in Winnebago County. I have met police officers who tell me youth courts reduce crime in schools and hold teens accountable for their behavior.

Across the country, prosecutors state that youth courts reduce crime, efficiently sentence first-time offenders, and preserve court and judicial resources to respond to repeat offenders and more serious criminal matters.

I have spoken to school administrators who tell me that youth courts create leadership opportunities for students, link troubled teens with community resources and positive role models, and create safer schools for students and teachers.

I have spoken with teens who serve as peer jurors in youth courts — some who have successfully completed a youth court sentence — and found they are excited to learn about our justice system and to give back to their school and community.

I have discovered that in youth courts, young people who commit their first low-level criminal offense have a better understanding of the impact of their bad behavior on their family, their school, their community and on the victim (if any) of their crime.

Perhaps, most importantly, these young people learn that a single offense doesn’t define them. These students learn they can move on and contribute to their school and community in meaningful ways for the rest of their lives.

The youth court program proves that our local officials can work well together. It is a true collaboration between our schools, police, prosecutors, judges, probation officers, and other community organizations such as Rosecrance, Youth Services Network and Northern Illinois University College of Law.

This multi-disciplinary group is convinced that youth court is absolutely the right thing to do.

And, the more I know about it, the more I am convinced. A youth court program has the potential to transform the lives of Rockford’s young people and our local high schools.

Wendy Vaughn is clinical assistant professor at Northern Illinois University College of Law and supervising attorney at Zeke Giorgi Legal Clinic. She is chairperson of the Youth Court subcommittee of the Human and Public Services College and Career Readiness Council.