Support for the youth-court concept is mounting, with more than 700 courts established nationwide to date. The city's Youth Courts are a variation of Philadelphia's Youth Aid Panel. A recent evaluation of the panel found that 70 percent of the participants were not rearrested in the three-year period after their first arrest, compared to 55 percent of youth who did not participate. The Harlem Youth Court offers more than trials. Teenagers can become members of Harlem's Community Justice Center's programs.
Members conduct mock trials in order to understand the judicial process.
Youths called before the court are called respondents. Prosecutors are called community advocates. Defense attorneys are referred to as youth advocates. The teens rotate between being the judge or members of the jury. Lewis-Kelly said the point of the program is to emphasize positive peer reinforcement, not to criminalize juvenile respondents.