Editorial: Peer courts offer an alternative to asbos

According to the then project manager, the peer initiative was considered intrinsic to the Liverpool community justice project, which is based on the template of the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn, New York (YPN, 7-13 July 2004, p2).

But now the talk is of peer group panels involving young people being considered "in due course", rather than being part of the community courts from the outset (see p3).

Launched in 1998, the Red Hook peer youth court trains young people to be members of juries, judges, the prosecution and defence, handling real-life cases involving their peers aged between 10 and 16. The peer courts deal with low-level - not fully fledged - crime, and antisocial behaviour. They meet twice a week and hear two or three cases in each session. The young people committing the offences have to have taken responsibility for their actions and acknowledged their guilt. Punishments include community service, letters of apology, drugs treatment or attendance at life-mapping sessions.