Starting in November, there will be a new court is session in Santa Clara County that has teens lining up to take part in the proceedings. Santa Clara County Peer Court is a new program aimed at teens ages 14 to 17 that lets teens take part in real cases involving minors.
During Peer Court, teen volunteers from local high schools determine the juvenile offender's sentence and serve in the courtroom roles of prosecuting and defense attorneys, jury, bailiff, and clerk. Each court session is presided over by a Santa Clara County Superior Court volunteer judge.
Peer Court was one of four initiatives announced by Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese during his State of the County address in January 2011. Cortese said that several other counties including Alameda and Santa Cruz have successful Youth Courts, and that Santa Clara County's is based on a combination of several different youth court models. In less than a year, Peer Court went from an idea in Santa Clara County to an operating program.
Peer Court provides early intervention in a teen youth offender's life and promotes "restorative justice rather than punitive justice," Cortese said. "The goal is to have the offender do something restorative to the offender, the victim, and the community."
Offenders are referred to Peer Court through the Santa Clara County Juvenile Probation Department and the district attorney's office for sentencing and have already admitted guilt. Unlike a normal trial, Peer Court volunteers do not have to decide if the offender is guilty, only what the sentence will be. Cortese said that sentencing options include community service, in-kind service, fines, community service, and an apology to the victim.
Two sessions of Peer Court will be held each month for a total of four to six trials per month. Volunteer high school students participate on active cases while learning more about the court system. So far, Cortese said information sessions about Peer Court have been held with an overwhelming response at two locations, Central County Occupational Center (CCOC), a career technical education center for students from 34 high schools in six school districts, and Andrew Hill High School. More than 60 students have volunteered to serve as Peer Court volunteers. Cortese said considering that county representatives have only visited two of nearly 200 high school locations that they planned to visit, they expect that the program will be a huge success.
In Cortese's State of the County speech in January, part of his vision for Peer Court was that it expose "youth to the workings of the criminal justice system and hopefully inspire our next generation of attorneys, judges, and probation officers." Several Peer Court volunteers said they see Peer Court as the first step in a possible future career in the legal field.
Several Peer Court volunteers from CCOC's probation and legal careers class, a three-hour, five-days-a-week class, said they are looking forward to being able to serve in different courtroom roles while making a difference in someone's life.
"This is a great opportunity to meet people in a courtroom and learn more about the actual courtroom jobs," Krysandra Lujan-Verdugo, from CCOC and Wilcox High School, said. The high school junior hopes to become a lawyer and said she is really looking forward to being able to serve as both a peer prosecuting and defense attorney.
During a Peer Court session, the judge oversees the proceedings and is available to answer questions from the teen court members. The teen attorneys present the case to the jury through evidence, witnesses, and testimony from the juvenile offender. The jury deliberates and then decides on the sentencing.
Once a sentence is decided, the juvenile offender signs a contract outlining what is required to fulfill the sentence. If the contract isn't completed, the offender is returned to the Juvenile Probation Department for further consequences.
The first Peer Court session will be held on November 1 at the Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse in San Jose.
Michelle Alaimo is a communication specialist (PIO) for a local school district and a freelance reporter who lives in San Jose, California, with her three children. She began working in education nearly 11 years ago because of her love of working as a local newspaper reporter covering the education, crime, and local news beats.
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