Youth Courts: Peer Justice Platform for Youth Development

Project Abstract 

Gregg Volz's project targets youth in the City of Chester, Pennsylvania, who lack developmental opportunities, are in danger of dropping out of school and are subsequently disconnected from school and from work.  Research shows clear links between educational failure, criminal justice involvement and workforce failure.  To address this problem, Mr.Volz has begun to develop youth courts in Chester public schools and in the community. Youth courts, he says, reduce delinquent behavior, enhance educational performance, and can connect youth to the job market.  School-based youth courts, such as the one he developed at Chester High School during the 2007-08 school year, bridge gaps between the education and juvenile justice systems and have the potential to do more.  Community based youth courts lower costs to the juvenile justice system.  Both types of courts foster new community leadership.

Youth courts are the most replicated diversionary justice model in recent years.  In 1994, there were only 78 youth courts in the United States; now there are almost 1300.  In Pennsylvania, however, the use of youth courts has been very limited. 

Project Goals

During his fellowship term, 2009-2011, Gregg seeks to:

  • Expand the Chester High School youth court and create mechanisms for it to be institutionalized;
  • Implement a community youth court as part of the Delaware County juvenile justice system;
  • Implement a school youth court for middle and elementary school students in the Chester Upland School District;
  • Develop a nonprofit organization to oversee the youth courts;
  • Develop a statewide youth court association in Pennsylvania;
  • Collect data on recidivism rates, psychosocial and academic performance, and job market participation; and
  • Conduct an economic analysis of the costs and benefits of youth courts.

 Gregg Volz's long-term vision for these efforts is to:

  • Block the school-to-prison pipeline;
  • Provide a platform for advocates in the juvenile justice, education, and workforce fields to share information and communicate more effectively;
  • Build a platform for a broader youth development program in Chester; and
  • Build a replicable model for use by other school districts and communities in Pennsylvania.

Use of the Results

Dissemination of early project results has already begun. The high school youth court's pilot year, 2007-08, included a demonstration of the youth court at a conference of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges held here in Philadelphia.  Researchers at Widener University have been collecting data on the youth court since its inception and have a publication pending as of January 2009. Plans to disseminate further findings include law review articles, publications in professional and academic journals, conferences, and the creation of a Pennsylvania Youth Courts Association.