Future Voters of America, the Police Athletic League, The Law Enforcement and Public Safety High School (LEAPS) and Pace University have all teamed up to enact a mandate from our 3rd Annual New York City Youth Congress.

The mandate asks Future Voters Leadership to increase the number of Peer Courts in each borough of New York City.

Peer Courts are courts where youth deliver sanctions to their peers who have committed minor crimes to which they have admitted guilt. Youth judge the seriousness of the young person's misdemeanor. This form of justice is seen by all parties as fairer than the judgments of the traditional court system. Peer courts tend to reduce the rates of repeat offenses in the community, thus keeping kids out of jail.

Future Voters of America has progressed extremely quickly with this mandate! The staunch support of community partners and local politicians has sped things up exponentially. In September, Future Voters of America will officially launch the fifth Peer Court in New York City in South Jamaica, Queens. If you live in Queens and are interested in participating in the South Jamaica Peer Court, contact info@futurevotersofamerica.org for an application. Training will begin on July 29th, 2006.