Age range

Website: www.youthcourt.org

Mission/Goals: The Donald P. McCullum Youth Court is a student forum in Alameda County for the diversion of juvenile offenders that 1) helps troubled youth change negative patterns of behavior into more appropriate and productive ones; and 2) provides a meaningful volunteer opportunity for additional youth many of whom are low-income and "at-risk".

Notes: The Donald P. McCullum Youth Court is a youth-focused, youth-driven peer court for first-time juvenile offenders. Offenders are represented by youth attorneys who have been trained in prosecution and defense; cases are tried by peer juries. Sentences are designed to hold the youth accountable in a meaningful, innovative and rehabilitative manner. The community service component of sentencing is designed to be educational, to build participant confidence, and to increase positive engagement in the community. The staff works closely with the offenders and their families in order to provide the most effective and appropriate services. Youth Court maintains an expansive network of collaborative agencies in order to provide referrals for the diverse needs of our clients. Youth Court serves as a stepping-stone for aspiring youth attorneys and provides youth volunteers and interns the opportunity to define themselves as positive agents in the justice process while learning important education, civic and interpersonal skills which help them stay free of law contacts and engaged in the school and community. Youth Court actively promotes an environment that values diversity of all staff, volunteers and participants.

Source(s): www.ofcy.org; www.youthcourt.org

Type of Evaluation: Outcomes Monitoring.

Objective: The Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY) evaluation was designed to assess service provision and the effects of services provided by organizations that received grants from OFCY. Please note that the following summary focuses on evaluation findings regarding the effects on children, rather than on service provision.

Impact/Outcomes: Youth- and parent-reported satisfaction with services were similar in fall 2003 and spring 2004 (92.8% versus 93.3% for youth and 94.2% versus 95.2% for parents). The percentages of youth, parents, and program staff reporting improvement across the seven developmental assets increased between the fall and spring (70.8% and 73.4% in the fall versus spring for youth reports, 74.6% to 80.9% for parents, and 80.8% to 85.1% for program staff). Similarly, the percentages of youth, parents, and program staff reporting improvement across the 14 areas of attitudes, skills, knowledge, and behaviors increased (80.2% to 81.4% for youth reports, 74.7% to 85.3% for parent reports, and 85.2% to 90.9% for staff reports). Staff ratings of youths' expectations of themselves increased slightly (72.8% to 73.6%) as did their ratings of youths' participation in home, school, and community (71.7% to 74.9%).
66.7% of youth served who were not in school returned to school by the time they completed the program, and 17.7% of youth who participated in the youth court in the last 4 years re-offended.