Teen Court: A National Movement
Profile: A Lawyer's Inside View of Teen Court
Deputy District Attorney Richard D. Huffman is a member of the San Diego County Bar
Association (California) and the judge for the San Diego Youth Court. Since the court has
expanded to five sites, he presides as judge on five to seven evenings monthly. We asked
him to share some of his reflections on youth court.
Q: When and how did you first become involved in youth court?
A: Several years ago, a buddy of mine volunteered with the program, and every day
at the gym he would share stories of what happened. As interesting as these anecdotes
were, it never occurred to me to volunteer. One morning he called me at the office, made a
few moments of small talk, and then asked me if I thought I might be willing to volunteer
for the program. "Sure," I replied. Then he asked me if I'd ever consider being
the judge in the program. "Sure, why not?" Then he said, "What are you
doing tonight?" Apparently the attorney who had been serving as the judge bailed out
that morning and they needed a replacement.
I called my father, a justice on the 4th District Court of Appeal, and asked if I could
borrow one of his robes. He did even better than that: he gave me his old courthouse sign
from superior court. It says "Richard D. Huffman—Judge." Just happens to be
my name, too. I got all the materials I could get, took about six hours of comp time, and
got as ready as I could get.
As youth court judge, I talked to all these kids like they were people. I wanted them to
understand what they were doing. I had never done anything like this before, and the kids
were great!
After the session was over, the program coordinator asked me to come back. So did some of
the kids and parents. That was five years ago, and I've been the judge ever since.
Q: Why do you think youth court is effective?
A: The kids feel empowered, especially the former offenders who are now passing
judgment [as members of teen court juries]. They experience positive, instead of negative,
peer pressure. They perceive authority and fairness. We can tailor a sentence that fits
the crime and serves to educate as well. We strike a very fine line between imposing the
sentence that the jury suggests, making those modifications required to stay fair, and
using common sense.
The best, most subtle, thing we have is caring people who take the time to try to find the
cases and kids we can reach. The greatest asset we have is the incredible people who give
so much to our program. So far we haven't even bought them so much as a pizza, yet they
invest huge masses of time and energy into this program and these kids. This is why we are
successful.
Q: What do you think is the future of youth court?
A: There is no future for youth courts without support (financial, moral, and
logistical). We have modeled ours after the superior court. It is countywide, and thus
uniform, yet at the same time, makes adjustments for each individual community. We have
tailored the individual sites to suit each community while still remaining uniform and
fair.
The key is to strike a difficult, intelligent balance between institutional and flexible.
Youth court needs to be institutional, in that it needs to be funded, supplied, uniform,
and fair; and it has to look, smell, and sound like a court. If anything, it requires more
of the trappings of authority than the adult version.
However, with institutionalization comes the risk of losing common sense and flexibility.
Youth court must adhere to common sense. Its mission is to make a difference in the lives
of kids by finding a fair solution to a problem and ensuring that everyone in the room
learns something from the process of finding that solution. Thus, youth court is about
fairness and common sense.
>>What are teen courts?
>>The Growth of Teen Courts
>>The Major Models
>>Steps for Implementing a Teen Court
>>Teen Courts and Law-Related Education
>>Delinquency Prevention; The Educational Role
>>Training
>>Profile: Salt Lake City's Peer Court
>>Student Courts
>>How Do Lawyers, Judges, and the Bar Support Teen
Courts?
>>Profile: A Lawyer's Inside View of Teen Court
>>Profile: The Wyoming Bar and Teen Court
>>Evaluation
>>Funding
>>Conclusion and References
>>Resources and Additional Information
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