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Resolutions in Support of Youth
Courts
August 9, 1995:
American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division spearheaded
a resolution encouraging the support for youth courts. The
resolution was adopted by the ABA House of Delegates on August 9,
1995.
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Constitutional Rights Foundation
passes a resolution
in support of Youth Courts October 2001
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In October of 2001, the Board of Directors
of the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF)
and the Constitutional Rights Foundation
Chicago (CRFC) passed the following
resolution in support of youth courts:
RESOLVED,
That the Constitutional Rights Foundation
and the Constitutional Rights Foundation
Chicago encourage schools, youth programs,
attorneys, judges, and police departments to
work together to form and expand
diversionary programs, known as youth
courts, where juveniles, under the
supervision of representatives from the
education and legal communities, determine
sentencing for first time juvenile offenders
who are charged with misdemeanors or minor
infractions of school rules and consent to
participate in the program, recognizing that
an important sentencing option - community
service - serves both the offender and the
community.
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12/20/01: Resolution in support of the
National Youth Court Movement read before
congress by Speaker of the House
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Statement by Speaker J. Dennis Hastert
The following resolution in support of the national youth court movement was read on December 20, 2001 before the U.S. Congress by the Speaker of the House, Dennis J.
Hastert.
Youth Court: Civic Engagement and Character Education Through Juvenile Accountability
Mr. Speaker, I rise to praise the efforts of the Constitutional Rights Foundation and the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. Their work encourages schools, youth programs, attorneys, judges, and police departments to work together to form and expand diversionary programs.
These programs, known as Youth Courts, are where juveniles, under the supervision of representatives from the education and legal communities, determine sentencing for first time juvenile offenders who are charged with misdemeanors or minor infractions of school rules.
The program displays that as a sentencing option, community service can serve both the offender and the community. |
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The American Probation and Parole
Association passes a
resolution in support of Youth Courts June 2002
On June 9, 2002 the Executive
Committee of the American Probation and Parole Association
adopted a resolution in support of the formation and expansion
of youth court programs. The resolution as it was adopted
appears below.
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Whereas, |
Youth courts (also known as teen courts, peer
courts and student courts) are one of the
fastest growing crime intervention and
prevention programs in the nation. |
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Whereas, |
Youth volunteers, under the supervision of adult
volunteers, act as judges, jurors, clerks,
bailiffs, and counsel for first time juvenile
offenders who are charged with misdemeanors or
minor infractions of school rules and consent to
the program. |
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Whereas, |
Youth courts engage the community in a
partnership with the juvenile justice system,
youth programs, schools, attorneys, judges, and
police departments working together to form and
expand diversionary programs responding to
juvenile crime and problem behavior. |
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Whereas, |
Youth courts increase the awareness of
delinquency issues and problem behavior on a
local level and mobilize community members and
youth to take an active civic role in addressing
the problem. |
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Whereas, |
Youth courts exemplify the practices of
empowering youth through involvement in
community solutions, problem-solving,
decision-making, leadership development, and
positive peer pressure. |
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Whereas, |
Youth courts design effective program services
and sentencing options that hold youthful
offenders accountable, repair harm to victims
and the community, and contribute to public
safety. |
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Whereas, |
It is time to
honor youth courts and their volunteers -- youth
and adult -- and the valuable contribution they
make to keep our nation's communities safe.
And |
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Therefore, be it
Resolved |
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That the
American Probation and Parole Association hereby
recognizes the importance of youth courts to our
communities and recommends that probation,
parole, and community supervision agencies
support and assist in the formation and
expansion of diversionary programs known as
youth courts. |
Street Law, Inc. Passes a
Resolution
in Support of Youth Courts December 2002
In December 2002, the
Board of Street Law, Inc. adopted a resolution in
support of the national youth court initiative. The
resolution as it was adopted appears below.
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Whereas
youth courts offer: |
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...young
first-time, nonviolent offenders who
admit their guilt an opportunity to be
sentenced by their peers and to receive
a consequence that reflects the ideals
of and educates the offenders in
restorative justice; |
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...police
officers, probation officers, and
juvenile court judges with a heavy
docket an innovative alternative to
dismissing less serious cases and
sending first-time offenders outside of
the formal juvenile justice
proceedings;
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...young
volunteers the chance to serve as
judges, jurors, bailiffs, and clerks in
a coordinated effort to hold their peers
accountable with balanced sentences that
repair harm done to the offender's
victim, the community, and to the
offender himself or herself;
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And
whereas youth courts build: |
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...ties
between the justice system, members of
the community, and youth;
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...an
awareness in youth of the law and the
consequences of delinquency;
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...a type of
community where youth can contribute to
society and demonstrate democracy in
action;
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Therefore, be it resolved: |
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That we
commend, support and assist those
involved in youth courts and others in
developing youth courts.
Approved
this 17th day of December, 2002.
Frank
Clark, Chair of Street Law, Inc.
Edward L. O'Brien, Executive Director of
Street Law, Inc. |
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July 26, 2004: The American Probation and Parole Association passes resolution in support of youth
courts
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