legal sanity

In a previous incarnation, my wife was a prosecutor in New York City. She sent me this article profiling the Harlem Youth Court, one of some 950 courts nationwide where “neighborhood teenagers act as judge, jury, and lawyers at trials of peers.” This is not a mock trial program. Rather, “participants hear real cases of teenaged defendants referred by the police or school administrators, and mete out sentences that include community service, anger management classes, and tutoring.” Judges and jury members are culled from local schools or volunteer after hearing about the program. Defendants find it easier to discuss their missteps with other teens and “take the process seriously.” Youth Court members, in turn, learn such important skills as “critical thinking, public speaking, and consensus building.” They also gain insight into the workings of the legal system and legal profession.