*** Teen Court Important Notice ***
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO HELP CLEAR
MANY MISGUIDED AND MISINFORMED REPORTS REGARDING THE HISTORY
OF HOW AND WHEN
TEEN COURTS ORIGINATED
SUCH AS THOSE
ERRONEOUSLY CREDITING
THEIR START
AS ORIGINATING IN TEXAS
DURING THE 1980S
OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE IS THAT
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
ALSO PROVIDES
AN EXCELLENT RESOURCE
FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, COUNSELORS
AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS
INCLUDING THOSE IN
JUVENILE AND YOUTH RELATED
REFORMATORIES,
YOUTH AND ADULT
CRIMINAL DETENTION CENTERS
AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
AND FOR ANY COMMUNITY, CITY, ORGANIZATION, OR GOVERNMENT AGENCY INTERESTED IN
REDUCING JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND CRIME
AND IMPROVING YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS.
This page and the following 14 pages will provide their readers with startling information not commonly known, recognized or accepted in the adult community. Anyone failing to read all of these pages will be doing themselves and teenagers an injustice.
RESOURCE QUOTES
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Sectional Reprints
There is an obvious need in today's changing society to extend the practice of "Trial by One's Peers" to the teenage community. It has long been a right of the adult community, but not one of teenagers. One might go on to ask why not extend this right to all minors. It is simply a matter of knowledge and understanding. Children of a very small ages obviously have trouble with understanding what is real and what is not. They are also just learning what is wrong and what isn't. Teenagers, particularly in this high tech communications age, are a lot smarter and wiser than teens of years ago. This does not mean that being smarter means less crime. As a matter of fact, ethics and morals of today's teen society and society in general has diminished in many areas. Combining this decay with the economics and social-cultural situations in today's world, more and more teenagers are getting into more and more trouble. Teenagers are no longer accepting the word of their parents or leaders as gospel truth. If they are told to do something they need to know why they must do it and not do it just because their parent said so.
Teens are finding it easy to do the time when they do a crime in an overcrowded, overworked, and under funded judicial and correctional system. After all, it is only another unbelievable adult telling them that they are not invincible. It is time to utilize "Teen Courts" operated by teenagers under the supervision of Adult Court Masters. The term Master can go back to ancient times as he who is educated and wise enough to teach others in the right ways. The term is most often used or heard among oriental martial arts followers. The first known Teen Courts started in California in the 1930s. Teen Courts in Texas have proven successful since the late 1950s.
Teen Courts Vs Adult Courts, (April, 1971) Weaver, R. D. Committee on Equal Justice for All Update, IV, 1
There is a greater need today to provide teenagers with a Law-Related Education. Every day new laws are being placed into effect or enforced. Many teenagers are unknowingly committing crimes as are many adults, but when teenagers do it, the teenagers are immediately branded as trouble makers, punks, gang members, and other similarly stereo typed characteristics. Often times, two different teenagers can commit the same crime and be caught doing it. The difference is that one teenager will be reprimanded while the other isn't. Why does it happen? Sometimes it is because one teenager is more financially affluent than the other. It may be because one comes from a minority race while the other doesn't. Or it may simply be due to one student being an honor student while the other isn't.
Regardless of the reason for being reprimanded, the crime may not have been committed if the teenager in question had been given law-related education. Law-related education should include an understanding of the judicial system. An informal teen court in a school setting has already proven to be beneficial as a learning tool and in correcting the actions of not only teenagers causing problems within the school system, but also encouraging other teenagers not to cause problems within the school system. Utilizing a formal teen court in conjunction with regular juvenile courts with a law-related education program would be beneficial to all parties.
Law Related Education Vs Juvenile Crime (May, 1971) Weaver, R. D., Committee on Equal Justice for All Update, V, 1
Law Related Education should be taught to teenagers as a requirement for school graduation. Parents are suppose to teach their children right from wrong, however, children don't always listen. In addition, parents don't always know what's right and what's wrong in many circumstances, particularly with so many laws on the books. When school officials, law enforcement officials and others sometime look away, it makes it harder for teenagers to know which laws are laws and which are just "practices" of a particular group in a society. In addition, an adult society that constantly practices the "do as I say and not as I do" theory makes it even harder on today's teenagers.
A law related education, particularly one with an emphasis on the judicial system, is of great importance to the development of the young leaders today. The judicial system brings in all aspects of the law to the awareness of the teenagers. A court operated by teenagers not only allows them to understand the judicial process itself, but it shows them the various roles played by related agencies and laws involved in the process. The laws that are in effect when a crime is committed are discussed, as are others. The consequences of being caught is explained as part of the process with a final understanding of the consequences that is arrived at by a verdict and decision of both judge and jury. Teenagers influencing other teenagers to do what is right has long been less noticed than those pressuring others to do wrong. For this reason teen courts should be made more use of in judicial areas dealing with juvenile offenders of minor or first time offenders of non-violent crimes.
Law Related Education in School Settings, (March 1971) Weaver, R. D. Committee on Equal Justice for All Update, III, 1.
Teenagers are often heard to say that many people become successful without a formal education. This can be said to be true of many older people, but not of today's teenagers. This can easily be explained.
For example, in the 1890s only about 3% of the people attended high school. Consequently, this meant that there were more good jobs than there were educated people to hold them. This meant that 97% of the people had a good chance for a good job. This situation, however, has changed over the years. To illustrate, in 1930 the percentage of people attending high school was 46% and in 1938 it was 65%. Statistically today, the percentage is even higher. All students, of course, did not graduate then nor do they today, but it now meant that the less educated would have a lesser chance to hold top positions as in previous years. In fact, many of the high school graduates are not able to attain top positions and must settle with entering into average or mediocre positions. A high school education is as valuable today as it was
