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October 25, 2010
STATE BAR’S SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON YOUTH COURTS
MAKES THE CASE FOR ESTABLISHING A YOUTH COURT IN ALBANY
Committee to Hold Informational Kickoff Event at
the State Bar Center on October 26th in Support of Youth Courts
Colonie Youth Court Participants Will Perform
Special Demonstration of Youth Court Hearing
Seeking to build on the success of youth courts established in recent
years throughout the Capital Region, members of the New York State Bar
Association’s Special Committee on Youth Courts will hold an
informational forum in support of the creation of a youth court in
Albany. The forum, which will be attended by several leaders of the
legal, law enforcement and education communities in the Capital Region,
will be held on Tuesday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the State Bar
Center, located at 1 Elk Street in Albany. The forum also will be
webcast live that evening at www.totalwebcasting.com/live/nysbar.
Representatives from the Colonie and Bethlehem Youth Courts, as well
as the Syracuse City School District Student Court, also will be on-hand
to discuss the day-to-day operations of youth courts, with a particular
focus on recruiting volunteer staff, training youth to serve on the
courts, and building relationships with referral agencies. Members of
the Colonie Youth Court will then perform a special demonstration of a
mock youth court hearing for those in attendance.
State Bar President-Elect Vincent E. Doyle III of Buffalo (Connors &
Vilardo LLP) will provide welcoming remarks to attendees at the event.
Special Committee on Youth Courts co-chairs Judith S. Kaye, former Chief
Judge of the Court of Appeals of the State of New York, and Patricia
L.R. Rodriguez (Law Offices of Patricia L. R. Rodriguez) will discuss
the different models of youth courts currently in operation and the
types of offenses commonly referred to such courts.
“The State Bar proudly supports youth courts and their mission
of providing a juvenile justice alternative that is operated for and by
young people.” said Doyle. “The young people participating
in the highly-successful youth courts established in the Capital Region
and throughout New York encounter a life-changing experience. Better
than any classroom, it teaches the participants about our justice
system, while delivering a powerful message to youth offenders about the
negative consequences of their actions. Albany would benefit greatly
from a youth court.”
Created by State Bar Association President Stephen P. Younger of New
York (Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP), the Special Committee on
Youth Courts is examining what roles the Bar Association can play in
strengthening youth courts, defining best practices, identifying
locations where new youth courts can be established, and developing
strategies for raising funds to support the initiative.
“We have an obligation to nurture young people because their
future depends on it – and so does ours,” said President
Younger. “Youth courts use positive peer pressure to ensure that
young people in trouble pay back their communities and receive the help
they need to avoid further brushes with the law. I want to commend Judge
Kaye, Patricia Rodriguez, and the members of the Special Committee for
their outstanding efforts to promote the many benefits that youth courts
bring to our communities.”
“The stakes for juveniles today could not be higher, and youth
courts are a key part of the solution for a juvenile justice system that
is currently in a state of crisis,” Judge Kaye said. “Youth
courts provide the right message and the right messenger to educate
young people about the law and about the importance of civic
participation. This forum will provide a wonderful opportunity for
attendees to share ideas on how to strengthen and expand the
state’s youth courts to make them a model for New York and the
world.”
There are more than 100 youth courts currently operating throughout
New York, including in the Capital Region municipalities of Bethlehem,
Colonie, Niskayuna, and Saratoga Springs. Participating teens are
trained to serve as jurors, judges and attorneys, and hear real-life
cases of their peers involving offenses such as truancy, school
fighting, vandalism, and shoplifting. Sanctions from the courts
typically include community service, letters of apology, essays and
counseling. The courts are overseen by volunteer judges,
attorneys, educators, and law enforcement officials and use positive
peer pressure to ensure that young people who commit even minor offenses
give back to the community and avoid further involvement in the justice
system.
Earlier this year, youth court advocates from across New York
gathered at the State Bar Center for a statewide New York State Youth
Court Conference. Hosted by The New York Bar Foundation, and
co-sponsored by the Center for Court Innovation, the Association of New
York State Youth Courts, and New York State Courts Access to Justice,
the conference consisted of several workshops designed to help
participants learn about ways to support, advance and strengthen New
York’s youth court system. In addition, The Bar Foundation’s
Judith S. Kaye Youth Court Fund provides financial support through grant
awards for activities of youth courts throughout the state.
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Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is
the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the
largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State
Bar’s programs and activities have continuously served the public
and improved the justice system for more than 130 years. For more
information, visit us at our website at www.nysba.org.
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