Peer to peer justice

Mat-Su Youth Court is a restorative justice program within the Valley aimed at helping youths correct and learn from their mistakes. It is a 60-member group of young people who together aid their peers in understanding the circumstances of their actions while also restoring justice and deterring further actions.

Youth Court deals only with first-time misdemeanor charges, meaning students who are sent to Youth Court are given one opportunity at making up for their actions and moving on. Crimes that are dealt with by the Youth Court do not remain on a students’ permanent record; instead, if an offender complies with sentencing, he or she is free to move on and grow from the experience without a record hanging over them. However, this is only a one-time chance, if students choose to re-offend, then they would be sent to an adult court to be judged by adults with harsher punishment, a permanent record and what could arguably result in less knowledge of how their actions directly affected their peers.

During a sentencing hearing, one judge, named the presiding judge, has an opportunity to speak directly with the offender. It is at this moment that offenders who might not yet have taken the student-led hearing seriously start to understand the importance of the program. Frequently, judges will inform offenders of how they contributed to the degrading reputation teens face. For example, in the scenario of a misdemeanor theft case, judges generally inform offenders of how they contributed to the loss of trust store owners and managers have in teens all throughout the Valley.

“In Youth Court basically, as well as giving a sentence, we attempt to encourage the defendant to make better choices and consider all the repercussions such as giving teens a bad name,” said Colony High School senior McKenzie Merrill.

According to a recent article written by Colony High School senior Sofia Fouquet, 140 of the 167 cases from January to October had been successfully completed. Not only were these offenders successful in complying with their sentences and making better choices, but they also provided 3,002 hours in community work service to the Valley, benefiting the community in a time of need while helping the offenders learn from their mistakes.

“I love Youth Court because we aren’t there to punish kids. Youth court is all about restorative justice. We try to restore the community, the defendant and the victims of the crime,” Merrill added.

Along with helping the offenders, Mat-Su Youth Court is also a great learning experience for the teen attorneys and judges who gain valuable skills from in-depth training from local attorneys. These skills include public speaking, knowledge of law, work in community service and a strong will to abide by laws set forth by the justice system.

As the holidays near, the community cannot overlook the positive influence of the local Youth Court. The program has proven the effectiveness of peer-to-peer justice. The solution is not always having an adult judge sentence an offender or even for the defendant to be harshly sentenced at all. That will help deter unlawful activity. Often, the most powerful reinforcement can be hearing from people, just like the offender, the wrong within their actions. The beauty of Youth Court lies in the program’s ability to establish justice in a way that also helps minor offenders personally.

Kayla Anderson is a sophomore at Colony High School.