Topic: Defining Justice

Question: How do you define “justice.” For you, what needs to happen for justice to be served?

Responses from Coordinators:

Washington County Teen Court
Scott Gage
Coordinator
Washington County Juvenile Court
P.O. Box 3425
Fayetteville, AR 72702-3425
Phone: (479) 444-1631
Fax: (479) 444-1749
Lsgage129@cs.com

My definition of "justice" would involve a person taking responsibility for his/her own actions. Justice has to do with us accepting responsibility for how our actions affect others and doing what is possible to repair any damage that may occur due to what we have done.

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Elsinore Valley Youth Court
Doug Monte
Deputy
Riverside County Sheriff's Department
333 W. Limited Avenue
Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
Phone: (909) 245-3332
Fax: (909) 245-3311
dmonte@rc-lawnet.org

Good Question...Justice to me is the process we all agreed to use. Therefore...justice is served: Whether the plaintiff wins or loses...Whether the defendant is found guilty or not guilty... whether or not we agree with the outcome. Don't confuse revenge with justice, they are two separate things.

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Teen Court of Huerfano County
Michele George
Coordinator
401 Main Street, Suite304
Walsenburg, CO 81089
Phone: (719) 742-0240
Fax: (719) 738-1267
hcteencourt@yahoo.com

How I perceive justice, which is what I try to get my students thinking about, is as follows. Justice is fairness and equity to all parties. Equality to me means considering what is best for everyone involved, victims, offenders, parents, guardians and the community. Simply throwing a person in jail is not always the answer. I try to teach my students that the 'world' is shades of gray. People commit what society considers crimes for reasons that may not necessarily mean jail is the appropriate place for them. I remind the D.A.'s and Judge's I work with that the kids we are helping are doing many of the same things we did as kids. The difference is now these actions are a crime.

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Edgar Cahn
Time Dollar Institute
P.O. Box 42160
Washington, DC 20015
Phone: (202) 686-5200
yeswecan@aol.com

Let me share with you the definition my father, Edmond Cahn, a legal philosopher, gave me. He didn't think human beings could grasp what justice was. It was too general, too vague, too abstract. But he felt we were born with an innate capacity to recognize and respond to injustice, to disparities of treatment or outcome that were so unjustified as to be simply unacceptable. So for him, and for me, "Justice means the active process of remedying or preventing what would arouse the sense of injustice."

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Kauai Teen Court
Robyn McCarthy
Teen Court Manager
2959 Umi Street
Lihue, HI 96766
Phone: (808) 245-2873
Fax: (808) 245-6957
teen_court@hotmail.com

A fair application of law to people. Where law is consistent and people have faith in it being carried out based on the law itself not on social, cultural, racial bias.

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Carolyn Pereira
Constitutional Rights Foundation
407 S. Dearborn Street, Suite 1700
Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: (312) 663-9057
Fax: (312) 663-4321
pereira@crfc.org

When I think of justice, I think of three questions:

1. Do people have fair and equitable resources and/or opportunities?
2. Is there a fair and consistent process for determining rewards and punishments?
3. Do the rewards and punishments fit the actions?

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Carol Leonard-Reynolds
Co-Coordinator
Dundalk High School
1901 Delvale Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21222
Phone: (410) 887-7023
Fax: (410) 887-7025
cleonardreynolds@bcps.org

Justice for the Dundalk High School Student Court is holding students attending Dundalk High School accountable for their behaviors.

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Lansing Teen Court
Michael Botke
Director
217 South Capitol Avenue - 230
Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: (517) 371-2823
Fax: (517) 371-2836
teencourtlansing@cooley.edu

For Lansing Teen Court Justice Means:

• Bring all parties to the same table to focus on the victim(s) of juvenile crime and resolving the problems associated, specifically to meet identified needs for those harmed.
• Rebuilding relationships harmed.
• Problem solving
• Accountability
• Personal Responsibility
• Public Safety
• Opening up the courtroom hearing to allow everyone involved and those affected by juvenile crime a voice in the process.
• Educating our young people about The Law and helping them make good choices to steer clear of criminal behavior.
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Oakland County Teen Court
Tasha Hanson
Teen Court Coordinator
Oakland County Prosecutor's Office
1200 N. Telegraph Road
Pontiac, MI 48341
Phone: (248) 858-1553
Fax: (248) 975-4265
hansont@co.oakland.mi.us

I believe Justice is defined as fairness and impartiality upon others. Justice is the use of a blind authority that deems rightfulness and respect. I feel Teen Court exemplifies true Justice, as the goal of Teen Court is not to humiliate or embarrass, rather the goal is to give a fair, impartial and constructive sentence to the offenders. By using honesty and integrity, all participants including the defendants are educated on the criminal justice system and gain hands on experience. By defendants coming forth and admitting their guilt for their actions, shows integrity in itself that they are willing to take responsibility for the crime being committed. With this in mind, it gives the defendants a better understanding of the consequences that may occur, so that they will not repeat their actions, thus exemplifying true justice.

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Capital Area Teen Court
Stacy Smith
Teen Court Coordinator
ReEntry Youth Development
P.O. Box 724
Raleigh, NC 27602
Phone: (919) 856-5671
Fax: (919) 856-5673
Stacy.smith@co.wake.nc.us

When looking at youth courts I would say justice is when a defendant sees the error in what they have done and learns from the experience. If they leave my program without having learned or grown...justice has not been served.

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Kimberly Wilson
Juvenile Justice Planner
North Carolina Governor's Crime Commission
1201 Front Street, Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone: (919) 733-4564
Fax: (919) 733-4625
kimberly.wilson@ncmail.net

I remember reading an article years ago that was entitled, "Justice or Just Us?" (or something like that..) It talked about how the justice system is biased and different decisions are made for different people based on their race, socio-economic status, etc. For me, justice can only be served if there are no disparities in decisions or availability of services based on the above factors.

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Teen Court Program
Nikki Willett
Teen Court Coordinator
Community Action Program
2105 Lee Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58504
Phone: (701) 258-2240
Fax: (701) 258-2245
teencourt@teencourt.com

To me justice is when the harm that has been done to a victim is restored. The damage will not always be completely taken away but hopefully amends can be made.

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Syracuse City School District Student Court
Judy Wolfe
Program Supervisor
Syracuse City School District
2400 Grant Blvd., Room 187
Syracuse, NY 13208
Phone: (315) 435-6345
Fax: (315) 435-4916
jwolfe26@scsd.us

Justice is the act of being fair or "just". In the context of our student court, the rights of the offender and the person (persons) offended are upheld. The offender is held accountable in a fair and just manner and sanctioned in a fair and just way. The person who has been offended has their rights represented by the prosecution and presented in a fair and just manner. The judges oversee the proceeds in a fair and just manner, showing no bias to any participant, treating all the involved equally.

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Hood River County Teen Court
Sheila O'Malley
Teen Court Coordinator
P.O. Box 661
Hood River, OR 97031
(541) 387-2367
Fax: (541) 386-5440
teencourt@nextdoorinc.org

Timely repayment (of some sort, in some way) to victims, the community, and/or society as a whole for a wrong committed against them. Justice is served when an attempt (hopefully a successful one) is made to right a wrong. Not all wrongs can have complete justice served, since some consequences of crime cannot be made right.

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Cari Emery-Wyatt
Stayton Sublimity Youth Peer Court
Friends of the Family
362 North Third Avenue
Stayton, OR 97383
Phone: (503) 767-5749
CariWy@aol.com

Justice is conforming to law, truth, fact, or reason. To protect and serve our communities with positive correctness.

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Community Court
Lorraine Rutter
Community Specialist
120 Strawberry Street
Mercer, PA 16137
Phone: (724) 662-3800 ext. 2561
Fax: (724) 662-4105
lrutter@mcc.co.mercer.pa.us

We use the motto that "justice" should be swift, certain and fair. If one of these elements is missing then you haven't implemented justice correctly. One of the reasons our county started the Community Court Program was to increase the swift aspect of justice. The Court was getting so back logged with lower level offender cases that we needed to find an additional way to assist the Courts and juveniles. In Pennsylvania we adhere to the Balanced and Restorative Justice Philosophy and this also echos our justice motto. Justice should be when the offender's consequence, victims and community rights are equally addressed on the case.

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Beth DeHart
Program Manager
SC Youth Court Association
SC Bar - LRE
950 Taylor StreetP.O. Box 608
Columbia, SC 29202
Phone: (803) 252-5139
Fax: (803) 799-4118
beth.dehart@scbar.org'

Justice: An outcome from which all parties impacted by a wrong have opportunity to voice their feelings, and have the person/people/system who committed the offense do all that they can to right the wrong, making sure to show understanding of why their actions were wrong.

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Project Chance - Dorchester School District Two Youth Court
Lessie Penn
Youth Court Supervisor
Dorchester School District Two
212 Joyce Lane
Summerville, SC 29483
Phone: (843) 832-7880
Fax: (843) 832-7036
Lpenn@dorchester2.K12.SC.US

Justice: fair and appropriate reparation for harm caused by an offender of any law sanctioned by the Constitution of the United States of America.

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Salt Lake Peer Court
Kathleen Zeitlin
Program Director
645 South 200 East, #101
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: (801) 322-1815
Fax: (801) 322-9732
slpcourt@Xmission.com

Justice is: Doing Justice: Adjusting differences in a relationship, so that those in the relationship can better function to meet their own individual needs and the needs of the group(s) to which they belong.  A Condition: The set of defined circumstances and parameters that enhances both individual and group functioning

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LaCrosse County Peer Court
Bobbie Tippery
Peer Court Coordinator
Boys & Girls Club of Greater LaCrosse
1331 Clinton St.
LaCrosse, WI 54603
Phone: (608) 784-3345
Fax: (608) 782-3933
Bee85_@hotmail.com

To me, justice occurs when everyone is treated on the same scale: the punishment (or reward) fits the harm (or good).

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Monongalia County Teen Court
Christopher (C.W.) Mullins
Teen Court Coordinator
235 High Street, Room 311
Morgantown, WV 26505
Phone: (304) 292-1236
Monteencourt@hotmail.com

I am surprised by how much philosophy that teen court people have to think about. It seems as though your philosophy on justice is what defines each teen court, and how it is run. I think that Justice is a scale system. If the defendant commits a serious crime his punishment should be serious enough to equal the wrong done. This will vary from defendant to defendant. What is justice for a 12 year old shoplifter is going to be a joke to a 17 year old shoplifter.

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