Peer court programs have shown promising results in reducing the number of students who find themselves in legal trouble. According to a National Institute of Justice study, students who went through youth court were significantly less likely to reoffend. Peer courts use positive peer pressure by having high school student volunteers examine each case and come up with a solution that will help the offender as well as the wider school community.
Marleigh Anderson is a high school student who is in her first year volunteering on the Salt Lake Peer Court. She said that her experience has helped her empathize more with her classmates.
“It’s really eye-opening because when you’re in school sometimes you don’t really understand what the people who are sitting next to you in class are going through,” Anderson said. “With peer court I’ve been really educated that maybe these issues don’t directly affect me but they affect the people around me. To help my peers be successful, I can be a part of that with peer court in providing an alternative.”
In 1994, there were 78 youth courts operating in the United States. By 2010, over 1,000 existed across 49 states. Sophie Corroon is another first-year Salt Lake Peer Court member. She said that the peer court has made her feel that she can make a difference in the lives of those around her.
“One thing that peer court has really done for me is let me know that although I am only 15, I have the capability of helping someone,” Corroon said. “When I pass people through school, like Marleigh said, I don’t know their situation but I am able to recognize that people do struggle and that I’m able to help them. That’s just a really satisfying feeling.”
Youth who choose to go through peer court for minor offenses have no criminal record after completion of the program.
