The Strategy

The Draper Peer Court offers an alternative approach to juvenile justice in which youth referred for minor offenses are sentenced by a jury of their peers. Peer Court employs a restorative justice-based approach that applies the skills and abilities of Draper City juveniles to provide positive peer influence, to hold youth accountable for their actions, and to strengthen their ties to school and community. Discover how this program benefits the community.

About the Program

The Draper Peer Court is a prevention / intervention program utilized by the Draper City Police along with public and private school administration. The program has three components: 1) court hearings, 2) peer mentoring, and 3) peer mediation.

Application

If you'd like to join, please complete the online Youth Volunteer Application.

Functions

The Draper Peer Court is a three-step program involving court hearings, peer mentoring, and mediation. The program is and does many things:

An alternative to the traditional juvenile justice system and school disciplinary proceedings using a non-adversarial approach for minor offenses, for youth 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

Common Offenses

Offenses most commonly referred to the Draper Peer Court are:

Chronic truancy Disorderly conduct Fighting Harassment

Theft Tobacco Vandalism