About the Harlem Youth Court |
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The Harlem Youth Court (HYC) tries its cases in the newly renovated Harlem courthouse on 121st St. and Lexington Avenue. Its coordinators are Keith Hickman (Jabari Osaze is no longer with the program) and Tanya Lewis-Kelly, the director of the Youth Justice Project. HYC is a project of the Center for Court Innovation, a public-private partnership between the New York State Unified Court System and the Fund for the City of New York. Harlem Youth Court is not an effort to replicate with young offenders a traditional adult criminal court. Instead, it works with first-time offenders 10 to 15 years of age from East and Central Harlem who have admitted to low-level offenses that might otherwise land them in Family Court. In lieu of giving these offenders “Youth Delinquency” (YD) cards—tickets that are linked to neither sanctions nor services — police may refer these cases to the Harlem Youth Court. The young people involved, and their parents, consent to participate in the project and to have a jury of teenagers determine a sanction for their misconduct. HYC is not an effort to replicate with young offenders a traditional adult criminal court. Sentences combine punishment and help, aiming to teach young people that crime has consequences and linking them to social services as needed. Possible sanctions range from community service with an educational component, to after-school workshops to writing letters of apology or essays related to the offense. The Youth Court staff works closely with young people to ensure that they complete sanctions imposed. Access to help (such as mentoring, tutoring, or substance abuse counseling) can be part of sanctions. Court members are a diverse group, 14 to 17 years old, and not selected from the top of their classes or organizations. About 65 or 70 percent of new members come through referrals by members’ friends and family members. In pre-service training students learn about criminal and delinquency law, family court operations, and Youth Court protocols. Ongoing training activities include cultivating leadership and group-building skills, public speaking, negotiation, and consensus-building, as well as group counseling sessions to address conflicts they may experience in judging their peers. The Court usually schedules four to six cases per week, over the
course of two nights, and court members commit five hours a week
to the program. For each court hearing, students prepare their role
in advance, participate as judge, advocate, or juror, then debrief
the case with the Program Director. They also attend all court member
trainings, retreats, and support groups. Members also may participate
in other programs sponsored by the Youth Justice Project, such as
the Career Academy, which coaches students to become more effective
in their high school and later college studies.
Youth Courth Extensions
More about the Harlem Youth Court
A WKCD interview with mentor Jabari Osaze
Hear audio clips of Harlem Youth
Court members
Resources and information on youth
courts nationwide
Read more of this WKCD feature story, "Making Peace, Restoring
Justice"
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