Jury of their peers

Law: Teen courts around the country handle misdemeanor trials of local teenagers—and their decisions are anything but moot | Whitney Putman

Sarah McGowan watches the bailiff on Judge Judy and every month looks forward to having the authority of a bailiff in her local Teen Court: "That's my favorite part: yelling at people." The not-so-favorite part: high heels. "My feet hurt," she complained to her mom at the end of a case.

Sarah participates in the Williamson County Teen Court in central Texas: It's one of approximately 1,037 youth courts that operate in 48 states. The court, which allows juvenile offenders to defer their cases to peers for sentencing, consists of junior-high and high-school students acting as jury, attorneys, court reporters, and sometimes judge. The courts are legally binding, sentencing those teenagers found guilty to community service hours, restitution, and other creative punishments. Youth courts handle 9 percent of all juvenile arrests and mostly handle minor misdemeanors.