SALT LAKE PEER COURT
a program of the non-profit Utah Law Related Education

What is Salt Lake Peer Court?

• An alternative to the traditional juvenile justice system and school disciplinary proceedings
  

• A non-adversarial approach for youth referred for minor offenses, who are sentenced and mentored by their peers
  

• A restorative justice approach to hold youth accountable for their actions, to build skills, and to strengthen their ties to school and community
  

• Empowers youth and communities to take an active role in addressing the early stages of youth delinquency
  

• Eliminates social barriers and unites youth throughout the community as they collaborate to intervene with referred youth
  

• A three part program: 1) Court Hearings 2) Peer Mentoring 3) Mediation
  

• A prevention / intervention Program utilized by the Salt Lake City School District. Approximately 300 youth are referred to Peer Court each year. Offenses most commonly referred are: chronic truancy, fighting, disorderly conduct, theft, vandalism, harassment, and tobacco

Benefits

• Partnering in preventing juvenile crime
  

• Empowering youth as stakeholders in their community
  

• Gaining hands-on knowledge about citizenship and law
  

• Learning public speaking and leadership skills
  

• Communities recovering losses due to juvenile crimes
  

• Communities gaining more confidence in youth
  

• Reducing juvenile court backlogs