Nome Youth Court attends Annual United Youth Courts of Alaska Conference
Four local Nome Youth Court members and their directors traveled to the Matanuska Susitna Valley for the annual conference that was sponsored this year by the MatSu Youth Court from April 13, 2022.
This was the first in-person conference since the pandemic hit the state. Nearly 100 youth court members attended from across the state giving an opportunity for the Nome court members to interact, learn, experience and become inspired.
Speakers, workshops and a special showing of a documentary on social media addiction were among the weekend’s activities.
There are currently eight youth courts in Alaska. Nome is one of the oldest in the state.The program incorporates the principles and practices of balanced and restorative justice by providing peer support to young offenders. It gives first-time juvenile offenders the opportunity to keep their crime off their record by agreeing to go on trial before their peers. Offenders who are tried are often given a community work service sentence in proportion to their offense. Restitution and service are joined with education and self-reflection, which help give insight into the effects of an offense on the community and encourage personal choice and positive decision making.
Youth volunteers benefit in many ways from their youth court experience, including learning about the law, learning new skills such as public speaking, feeling more like a part of the community, being more thoughtful about others, and feeling better prepared for their futures.
Alaska is the only state to authorize youth courts in statute and one of the few that allow youth courts to adjudicate guilt and innocence. Alaska is also unusual in the degree of autonomy and responsibility exercised by the student volunteers who perform the roles of judges, attorneys, and court officials. Alaska statutes authorize youth courts to address several specific types of offenses. These include misdemeanors, such as minor thefts, vandalism, harassment; underage alcohol use or possession; marijuana possession; and municipal offenses such as curfew violations.
Several members of the Nome Youth Court will graduate this year requiring recruitment for new members to train to support their peers.
Anyone interested in learning more about how to become a Nome Youth Court members can call the Nome Community Center at 907-443-5259 or email staff@nomecc.org.