Topic: Peer Pressure Workshops

Question: Do any of your programs have a peer pressure workshop as part of your sentencing options? If so, can you give me a brief description of what it entails.

Responses from Coordinators:

Leslie Wilda
Beaverton Youth Peer Court
4755 SW Griffith Dr
Beaverton Or 97076
Phone: (503) 526-2562
LWilda@ci.beaverton.or.us

We offer a 3-hour "Self Esteem" workshop as a sentence requirement. The goal is to provide the defendants with the tools to develop ongoing constructive decisionmaking skills by:

1. Discussing the complexities of living with other people and the purpose of laws
2. Identifying unique characteristics to improve defendants self esteem
3. Discussing the influence of peer pressure
4. Discussing consequences of destructive behavior
5. Interacting with a positive adult who discusses real life situations

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Susan Wolfe
Fort Worth Teen Court
Coordinator
1000 Throckmorton
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Phone: (817) 781-8681
Fax: (817) 781-6723
WolfS@ci.fort-worth.tx.us

Our Peer Pressure and Conflict Resolution classes are taught by the Fort Worth School District Counselors. You can request information from Roy Griffin, FWISD. They use several types of medium, role play, video, games, and discussion.

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Jennifer Strutz
Stayton Sublimity Peer Court
362 N. Third Ave.
Stayton, OR 97383
Phone: (503) 769-5749
Fax: (503)769-7573
jastrutz@aol.com

We do not have any specific peer pressure workshops. But, we offer classes in mentoring and mediation skills, at trainings we bring in speakers who speak to the 40 Developmental Assets from the Search Institute and in April we will be having Muata Kiongozi come speak to the youth about worthiness.  I give all offenders a booklet to fill out called "Building a Better Me" by the Lutheran Brotherhood (www.luthbro.com). It speaks to building/strengthening assets in their lives.

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Jason Bergstrand
Cass County Youth Court
C/o Lutheran Social Services
1325 11th Street South
Fargo, ND 58103
Phone: (701) 271-3253
Fax: (701) 235-7359
jbergstrand@lssnd.org

We do not have a specific peer pressure workshop, however we use the Keys To Innervision program that specifically addresses peer pressure as part of their cognitive restructuring program.

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Marlene Todd
Lawrence County Teen Court
P.O. Box 227
Deadwood, SD 57732
Phone: (605) 578-2065
Fax: (605) 578-211
teencrt@mato.com

We offer some classes in "Peer Association and Gangs", "How Others See Us", "Those Who Influence" and going on into values, attitudes and behavior, etc. as part of our STOP (Second Time Offender Program). Our first time offender teens are offered the Teen Court program which uses the jury trial model and the our second time offenders are offered the STOP program which offers the master jury model with the classes as part of the sentence. We talk a lot about peer pressure in the classes and how this influences their decisions.

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Jeanne Jentsch
Sheboygan County Teen Court
1337 North Taylor Drive
Sheboygan, WI 53081
Phone: (920) 803-6322
Fax: (920) 458-5670
jjentsch@lsswis.org

We don't have a peer pressure workshops. What we do incorporate is counseling and projects involving the peer pressure issues.

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Julie Fahlmann
Warren County Youth Court
Hudson Falls, NY 12839
Phone: (518) 746-1527
Fax: (518) 745-1779
warrenctythcrt@yahoo.com

Yes, The Warren County Youth Court has been using a one-hour Peer Pressure class since it began. In fact, this class is used 90% of the time during sentencing since most of my cases involve the defendant committing the crime with others or simply being with other youths during the crime. On many occasions, I will get all of the cases. Most of the time the youth are still friends and take responsibility for what they did without blaming the others. Those are the cases that I love. It works out for everyone involved. The Peer Pressure class is done by an outside agency who volunteers one hour per month to meet with the defendants as a group-the have a sheet they fill out related to peer pressure, and they discuss self esteem and why they are there. It is not very involved but it gives them other options other than just going along with their friends.

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Nancy Kaplan
Hernando County Teen Court
c/o Clerk of the Circuit Court
20 N. Main Street, Rm 251
Brooksville, FL 34601
Phone: (352) 754-4201
NancyK@co.hernando.fl.us
www.co.hernando.fl.us/ccc/teencrt.htm

We have a weekly peer circle with adult facilitator (licensed counselor) in which many topics relevant to teen life are dealt with, including peer pressure. Juries have the option of sentencing 1 to 4 peer circles.

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