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In Philadelphia Juvenile Court, the judge, jury, and respondents are teenagers

In Philadelphia Juvenile Court, the judge, jury, and respondents are teenagers

Philly has all the familiar players in that courtroom. There is a person accused of wrongdoing, there is someone who can defend the respondent, a jury of their peers, a judge, even a bailiff.

Except that in Philadelphia Juvenile Court hearings, all of these roles are played by youth.

PCYC is a restorative justice and youth diversion program where respondents charged with offenses such as bullying or theft have their cases reviewed by their peers. The court’s goal is to repair the harm through decisions such as writing a letter of apology with plans to repair the harm, attending therapy, or attending future juvenile court hearings.

“Juvenile court is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. You have to work. We hold you accountable for your actions. It is your responsibility to repair the damage that has been done,” said Francine Hardaway, CEO and founder of PCYC.

Courts currently operate in seven locations under the program across the city, including at its recently opened headquarters in East Germantown, and plans to open at least two more. PCYC receives its cases as referrals from partners in the School District of Philadelphia Philadelphia Police Departmentand the district attorney’s office, as well as from community members through a PBC case book management system.

“Instead of a child being convicted and charged and going through the justice system where it’s so mentally damaging, I’d rather have her go through our system,” said Rahmira Davis, 19, a former PCYC member who still helps in administrative affairs of the program. work since entering college. She aspires to one day work in law, or criminal law, or youth advocacy.

“Where it’s restorative, where they’re reintegrated, where they’re looked at as people and not just for what they’ve done,” she said.

Restorative and transforming

Hardaway first founded PCYC in 2012 at Imhotep Institute Charter High School. Prior to that, she was certified as a Magistrate Court, a quasi-judicial officer in the Philadelphia court system, and one day went on trial to learn more about the courts. Some of the PCYC kids and community members refer to her as Judge Hardaway, even though she is not a judge. During the day, she was alarmed by the sheer number of people who were officially charged with crimes.

“I was very, very concerned about the number of black and brown people who appeared before the magistrate. … I couldn’t help but think: what happened to them? Who offended them? How did we get there?” Hardaway said.

The teacher urged her to do something about it. Hardaway began researching ways to keep kids out of the criminal justice system and came across youth-led courts. They operated in different cities, for example New York, washington, and Baltimore; Philadelphia and Chester in the past there were even juvenile courts. After she visited and studied these courts, Hardaway brought her version to Philadelphia, where it immediately resonated with people.

“We did a mock hearing and it went like a gangbuster,” she said. “When you value their voice, that’s when they open up.”

Today, other youth court programs operate in the city, including in the school districtbut Hardaway said the PCYC is the only partner in the police department’s diversion program.

The PCYC currently handles just over 100 cases a year in various courts, but Hardaway said she hopes that with the new headquarters, the PCYC will now handle up to 300 cases a year. The court does not determine guilt or innocence, because before accepting the case, the defendants must sign an agreement on their willingness to compensate for the damage caused. Otherwise, their case will go through the traditional justice system.

Hardaway said the court aims to be “restorative and transformative” in the way it treats young respondents. Compensation for harm caused by an apology or acceptance of other forms of responsibility occurs only when the conditions that led to this harm remain. PCYC works with its referral partners and other city stakeholders to address root causes — Hardaway gave the example of a respondent who stole clothing because his family was suffering and he needed it badly for an interview, so PCYC helped him find a job.

“We have to change this condition,” she said.

Building relationships

Each member of the juvenile court has a different role in the court: jury members who ask and determine a restorative outcome for the defendant, the judge in the robe and gavel who presides, the bailiff who assists the judge and oversees the court, and the youth advocate , which supports the respondent. The only adults present at the hearing are PCYC staff and the respondent’s parent/guardian.

Even after responders effectively repair the harm they have caused, PCYC stays in touch with them until they graduate from high school so that they continue to feel valued. The organization also hosts occasional “positive pop-up” events designed to engage former respondents and connect with community members.

“We see them for what they are.”

Jabril Williams

“There is only one way to this organization. There is no way out,” said Derrick Cheeks, 24, PCYC’s chief administrative officer. Cheeks first started working with the youth court when he was a high school student and has been involved ever since.

“I want to know what your needs are,” he said of respondents. “If there is no relationship, there is nothing.”

Davis, who started working at PCYC her freshman year of high school, said her favorite role on the court was as a youth advocate.

“A lot of people don’t always have that home or that person to talk to or feel heard,” she said.

Jabril Williams, 20, was once the president of PCYC and still works for the organization now that he is in college. He said he enjoyed being a judge the most because he enjoyed making sure everyone was involved so that respondents felt heard.

“We don’t see them for what they’ve done or why they’re in court, we see them for who they are — good people,” he said. “Someone who can contribute to the world, but doesn’t necessarily know how.”