Government
Why Is D.C. Abandoning an Effective Program That Keeps Kids Out of Jail?
The city's youth court just ran out of funding. Will anyone swoop in to save it?
Every year, Washington, D.C.'s Youth Court "tries" about 300 cases, in an effort to keep young first-time, non-violent offenders out of jail and the juvenile justice system.
Here's how it works: the teens explain their transgression to a jury of their peers (quite literally, as it's made up of students who also came before Youth Court). Then their parent or guardian outlines how the crime (mostly shoplifting, school fights, and marijuana possession) has hurt them.