Trained high school volunteers serve as advocates for the client and representatives for the community and victim. Most importantly, youth also serve on the jury and decide and provide justification for the client’s restorative contract. Once, a client finishes their hearing they return to serve on the jury for other hearings, giving them a chance to experience the process from the other side.
All aspects of the Youth Court process follow a restorative justice philosophy, which focuses on both repairing the harm caused to the victim, community, and the offender. We also focus on positive youth development.
We train volunteers on restorative justice, legal procedure, public speaking, recovering from trauma, critical thinking, and leadership. After finishing their hearing, clients also receive training in these topics before serving on the jury.
We work with our partners and other community advisors to develop and offer evidence-based services to our clients. We closely engage clients and their families to provide these services.
We offer additional opportunities for positive development to both our volunteers and clients. These range from college and job search counseling to having a private group lunch with a federal judge after observing one of his court cases.
We offer data analysis on juvenile justice to Connecticut and New Haven agencies. Our analysis work is advised by professors who are experts in sociology and statistics.
Members of the jury are responsible for listening to the case and then ultimately deciding its outcome. Their jobs is to come up with a fair and creative outcome so that the offending young person has the opportunity to repair the harm he or she has caused to the victim and the community.
The representatives for the client are youth attorneys who advocate for the client. Youth attorneys make opening statements, question the client, and make a closing statement. The representatives for the client pay particular attention to the harm the client has caused to themselves and how they can positively develop as a person.
The representatives for the victim and the community are youth attorneys who advocate for the victim and the community. Youth attorneys make opening statements, question the client, and make a closing statement. The representatives for the client pay particular attention to the harm the client has caused to the victim and the community.