At Dorsey High, in South Los Angeles (LA), juvenile delinquents and offenders come before a jury of their peers, accused of misdemeanors including tagging, petty theft, prostitution, and drug possession, creating the strange sight of a young student questioning another student. This teen court is one of the 17 in LA County, and is becoming a very common practice. The purpose of having young students tried by other students is that the mixture of sanctions, questioning, and consequences will prevent the defendants from breaking the law in the future. If the defendant in a case adheres to the judge’s ruling, then the charges are dismissed, without the need for jail time. It is thought that students will be able to see where a delinquent is coming from and will be able to dish out the punishment that will help him/her improve their life-style. "This is a great idea! I think students can really benefit from actually witnessing the consequences of what happens when they break the law." said Jason Cheng (who is this?) in response to the notion of such a court system.
Although some think that these students may be too immature to handle such delicate cases, the students have shown their maturity trough the viability of their treatment of the defendants. There is also and aspect of the courtrooms that scares defendants straight as well as enforcing the importance of maturity and respect when talking of seemingly trivial case. In one case, students snickered over a case involving tagging, a type of graffiti that marks territory or inscribes the symbol of a person or group(I don't think this is necessary to explain), until the judge informed them of a case where someone was gunned down because of tagging in the wrong place at the wrong time. The courtroom was shocked. Freshman Edward Chao defended the idea of student juries by saying “Students can emphasize with other students, and can make the right choices in order to help these troubled kids not make the same mistakes again.” The court at Dorsey High thrives because of volunteers. They include 70 students from local law schools who advise the teen jurors about the law, community mentors who monitor defendants' compliance with the sentences, and the high school jurors, who can fulfill graduation requirements for their hours in court. Often, students who were in the position of the defendant found themselves in the jury in order to fulfill their community service requirements.
The student juries have been revolutionizing the way that delinquent offenders are dealt with. Harsh punishments were often used by adults who couldn’t understand the defendant’s motives, more often then not steering students back into crime. Because a young adult can relate to another young adult, punishments are fairer and can help a delinquent change and adapt to a new lifestyle. “It’s easy for teens to understand the way of life of others because we hang out with each other every day at school or sometimes even after school or on the weekends. Overall I think it’s a good idea because teens have first hand experiences with everyday or unnatural situations, something that adult’s lack. Adults may make the wrong decision because they aren't experienced because they haven't been exposed to teenage situations.(,)” said freshman Andrew Sun. Dorsey High is just one example of this system, there being over 1,000 such courts throughout the country. Through understanding and maturity, lives can be saved and many can be given a second chance.
- Again, have a separate intro and conclusion.
- Present both sides, is there anyone that might disagree with the idea of having student courts and juries? Try to include their opinions too.
- As a whole, big improvement in your articles this month! well-written
Although some think that these students may be too immature to handle such delicate cases, the students have shown their maturity trough the viability of their treatment of the defendants. There is also and aspect of the courtrooms that scares defendants straight as well as enforcing the importance of maturity and respect when talking of seemingly trivial case. In one case, students snickered over a case involving tagging, a type of graffiti that marks territory or inscribes the symbol of a person or group(I don't think this is necessary to explain), until the judge informed them of a case where someone was gunned down because of tagging in the wrong place at the wrong time. The courtroom was shocked. Freshman Edward Chao defended the idea of student juries by saying “Students can emphasize with other students, and can make the right choices in order to help these troubled kids not make the same mistakes again.” The court at Dorsey High thrives because of volunteers. They include 70 students from local law schools who advise the teen jurors about the law, community mentors who monitor defendants' compliance with the sentences, and the high school jurors, who can fulfill graduation requirements for their hours in court. Often, students who were in the position of the defendant found themselves in the jury in order to fulfill their community service requirements.
The student juries have been revolutionizing the way that delinquent offenders are dealt with. Harsh punishments were often used by adults who couldn’t understand the defendant’s motives, more often then not steering students back into crime. Because a young adult can relate to another young adult, punishments are fairer and can help a delinquent change and adapt to a new lifestyle. “It’s easy for teens to understand the way of life of others because we hang out with each other every day at school or sometimes even after school or on the weekends. Overall I think it’s a good idea because teens have first hand experiences with everyday or unnatural situations, something that adult’s lack. Adults may make the wrong decision because they aren't experienced because they haven't been exposed to teenage situations.(,)” said freshman Andrew Sun. Dorsey High is just one example of this system, there being over 1,000 such courts throughout the country. Through understanding and maturity, lives can be saved and many can be given a second chance.
- Again, have a separate intro and conclusion.
- Present both sides, is there anyone that might disagree with the idea of having student courts and juries? Try to include their opinions too.
- As a whole, big improvement in your articles this month! well-written