Anchorage Youth Court

In Anchorage we have a unique option for juvenile delinquents - if you are a first time offender and have not committed a felony, then you have the option to be tried by your peers through a youth court, and have your record expunged upon completion of your sentence.

The Anchorage Youth Court was new/just getting started *back when I was a kid*... and it is still around!  I really enjoyed being a volunteer with the program when I was a teen, and have been excited to introduce it to my kids as a great service opportunity and chance to learn about the justice system!

Last week Bentley did some training downtown for Anchorage Youth Court (AYC) he's entering 7th grade (YIKES!) and now eligible to join.  I'm not completely sure he was excited about it beforehand, as when we signed up for the training they handed a big book to him and told him to read it before class.  He's a good kid though, so he showed up with a good attitude.  He had a great time and told me the lay is a very interesting field - I told him that I have always agreed, despite the bad press some lawyers get.  We'll see what comes of that interest...

Anyway.  At the end of the training the kids all took the "bar exam" to show they have some core competence to particpate in the system.  Bentley had a perfect score of 105/105 on the test - yay Bentley!  Tonight Matt, Genevieve, and I went downtown to the court house to see him sworn in.  It was fun and I look forward to seeing what he does with the program in the future.  :)