Teen Court: A National Movement
Teen Courts and Law-Related Education
Teen courts and law-related education share many goals. The Law-related Education Act
of 1978 defined LRE as "education to equip nonlawyers with knowledge and skills
pertaining to the law, the legal process, and the legal system, and the fundamental
principles and values on which these are based." Prompted by the publication of
educational standards in areas such as math, science, and history in the early 1990s,
leaders in the field of LRE collaborated with the American Bar Association Division for
Public Education to agree upon what constituted the essence of LRE. The resultant
document, The Essentials of Law-Related Education (American Bar Association 1995),
outlined four key factors essential to LRE:
- LRE fosters the knowledge, skills, and values that students need to function effectively
in a pluralistic, democratic society based on the rule of law.
- Since law saturates our lives, LRE focuses on real issues that affect real people in
real situations.
- LRE provides active learning experiences to explore rights and responsibilities,
confront and resolve disputes, and discuss and analyze public issues.
- LRE strives to develop the active citizens our society requires: those who can
understand, live in, and contribute positively to the civic communities to which they
belong.
How do teen courts fit within this description of LRE?
LRE fosters the knowledge, skills, and values that students need to function
effectively in a pluralistic, democratic society based on the rule of law.
Each teen court case teaches both the student volunteers and the offenders about the rules
or laws that were broken, the consequences of the offenses, and how due process is
observed by court procedure. In addition, the volunteers and offenders learn about key LRE
concepts of justice, power, equality, property, and liberty. Justice is demonstrated when
perpetrators of proscribed acts receive appropriate consequences (sentences) for their
actions. Property and power are addressed in cases such as vandalism, assault, or
shoplifting. The court provides equal justice according to established rules and
procedures. Liberty is addressed when the desire of the individual offender is weighed
against the rights of others (such as the victim in a theft or an assault).
The Essentials lists important values, attitudes, and beliefs that are fostered
by LRE:
- A commitment to constitutional democracy
- Dedication to the ideal of justice in society
- Informed, active, and responsible participation in civic life
- Respect for the fundamental dignity and rights of humans
- An appreciation for legitimately resolving societal conflicts and differences
Teen courts foster these values, attitudes, and beliefs in their participants
(volunteers and offenders) who voluntarily commit their time to teen court in the pursuit
of justice. The student volunteers, moreover, demonstrate a belief in active and
responsible participation in civic life, a respect for the rights of the offender and
victim, and an appreciation for a legitimate response to societal conflicts by deciding
appropriate consequences for the offenses in question.
Since law saturates our lives, LRE focuses on real issues that affect real people in
real situations.
Teen courts make use of established rules and regulations in a school setting or the
juvenile law in a community setting and have real offenders in very real situations.
Because it is real, the volunteers must learn the self-discipline of confidentiality. The
consequences of the jury's decision have an impact on defendants whom the volunteers see
face-to-face.
LRE provides active learning experiences to explore rights and responsibilities,
confront and resolve disputes, and discuss and analyze public issues.
Instead of reading about court procedure, jury duty, sentencing options, and community
service, teen court participants learn through experience. The deliberation process of
weighing conflicting points of view and deciding a just and appropriate sentence is an
excellent example of active learning. The participants also learn firsthand the
consequences of delinquent behavior. Their learning is enhanced by the offenders'
opportunity to "make things right" by fulfilling their sentences. Moreover, teen
court participants (offenders and volunteers) are involved in the active learning of
community service, which is a very common component of teen court sentences. While
offenders do not arrive at community service freely, they have the opportunity to learn
its importance, may enjoy the activity, and may experience an increase in their
self-esteem by recognizing their positive contribution to the community.
LRE strives to develop the active citizen our society requires: those who can
understand, live in, and contribute positively to the civic communities to which they
belong.
Teen courts exemplify this LRE goal. Volunteers are active citizens who donate their
time, provide their communities with a positive response to juvenile offenses, and learn
about the role of justice in a democratic society. Young offenders not only learn the
consequences of delinquent behavior but, through creative sentencing, also may gain a more
positive attitude about their communities. Sentences such as jury duty, which gives them
the opportunity to experience the responsibility of the deliberation process, and
community service or restitution, which allows them to give back something to the
community, help young offenders see themselves as persons capable of practicing good
citizenship skills.
>>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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