Background and History
The Global Youth Justice Movement: A Localism, NOT Globalism Approach, that is a Text-Book Example of a Local Grass-Roots Movement, that is not going to change the handling of low-level juvenile crimes in the future, as it already has, and rather quietly on a local level over the past three decades. And, there are no signs of this Localism Volunteer-Driven Peer to Peer Approach slowing down anytime soon, as even wider support is growing for them, not only in America, but in Democracies around the Globe.

It is more transparent than at anytime in recent memory, for a healthy representative Democracy, society must actively engage the next generation as stakeholders, and Teen Court, Peer Court, Student Court, Youth Court, Youth Peer Court and Peer Jury Diversion Programs, are an authentic, and now, almost a necessity in communities wanting to hold youth accountable for crimes, offenses, and violations, but not entrench them in the justice system, or let them off the hook with no consequences.


In 2022, 231 were documented to have closed in America during the Global Pandemic, and all but 31 re-opened, in addition to 81 new Youth/Teen/Peer/Student Court and Peer Jury Diversion Programs being establish. With the exception of New York, Alaska, and Illinois, this three decade movement was largely in the southern more conservative states, where states like Florida and Texas have them in 50+ Counties, with multiple programs in larger counties. There are several models, making them adaptable, and given youth volunteers are a large programmatic aspect helping their peers in trouble for largely minor crimes, offenses, and violations, they are in communities and tribes, from the low to highest incomes.

Global Youth Justice, Inc. Champions 2,100+ volunteer-driven youth justice and juvenile justice diversion programs called Teen Court, Youth Court, Student Court, Peer Court, Youth Peer Court, and Peer Jury in 48 States, 35+ Tribes, and 12 Countries on 4-Continents, making it the most replicated juvenile justice and youth justice program around the globe. They are volunteer-driven, inexpensive, adaptable, practical, scalable, and are replicating widely in urban, rural, suburban and tribal settings. They are a text-book example of Inclusive Democracy, and the rare public vehicle that authentically involves Youth and Young People in the Local Democracy and the Administration of Justice.

Historic Numbers of Youth Justice Volunteers — Make it Possible for 2,100+ Communities to Give their Youth a 2nd, and Even 3rd Chance for Minor Crimes, Offenses and/or Violations. The Global Youth Justice Movement is Localism, and not Globalism, and Volunteer-Driven to Strengthen Juvenile Justice, Youth Justice and Criminal Justice Systems around the Globe.

In 2023, in America — the Global Youth Justice Movement began three decades ago in 1993. In the past 10 years, albeit primarily in the past 5 years, this Global Youth Justice Movement mobilizing historic numbers of youth and adult volunteers, has spread to 12 countries on 4 continents. And — Adults and youth from hundreds of additional communities around the globe are in various stages of implementing one of these rapidly expanding affordable and youth-led diversion programs.

Global Youth Justice champions the quality implementation, enhancement, and expansion of these rapidly expanding diversion programs around the globe. These rapidly expanding local volunteer-driven diversion programs harness positive peer pressure and utilize it in a peer judgment setting to help address the anti-social, delinquent, and criminal behavior of youthful offenders. The peer judgment, volunteer-driven, youth-led, and positive peer pressure aspects of these diversion programs are the primary programmatic elements that separate these juvenile justice and youth justice diversion programs from all others.

In America, they are now 10x's more replicated than any Juvenile Justice Diversion Program, with this margin widening even future, and without any federal support since 2008. This expansion over the past 30 years, has been driven by some States, but mostly hundreds and hundreds of local communities. Global Youth Justice, Inc. initially was called Youth Courts of the Capital District, Inc. in 1993, and based in New York, and it was the first Federal, State, and Local Effort, on these peer to peer diversion programs. New York called them Youth Court Diversion Programs, and by 1997, they were in fifty communities throughout New York, a signature project of New York State Governor George Pataki.

In 1997, the founding Executive Director of Youth Courts of the Capital District, Inc. was brought on by the Clinton Administration to design and launch a ten year training and technical assistance plan at the United States Department of Justice to expand them in America, but not fund them. In 2000, the Bush Administration arrived, and unlike most discretionary projects of previous administrations, this 10-year Federal Youth Court Project was not only not terminated, but the Bush Administration mobilized four other federal agencies to support the remaining seven years of the ten year plan. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (FYSB), Transportation (NHTSA), Education (OESE), and the Corporation for National and Community Services (now AmeriCorps).

By 2008, there were 1,200+ Communities and Tribes in America with these Youth/Teen/Peer/Student Court and Peer Jury Diversion Programs in 41 States, DC, and 15+ Tribes. And, the UK, Netherlands, and Germany had all begun establishing these uniquely American Justice and Democracy Programs. Global Youth Justice, Inc. was then created as a public domain social venture in 2019, and then a nonprofit in the state of Massachusetts in 2015, before become a 501c3 US Federal Charity in 2019, and relaunched in 2020. Still relatively new, but Global Youth Justice, Inc. proudly remains public domain, sharing everything, and not a dues paying organization, and it has big expansion plans.

And, as demonstrated on the 20th Anniversary of September 11th in 2021, Global Youth Justice, Inc designed and launched the 1st Annual 9/11 Day Flag of Honor Across America Memorials, and in the middle of a Global Pandemic, and our huge network made it the Largest National 9/11 Day Memorial in 2021, and the following September 11th in 2022, as tens of thousands of youth and adults mobilized to honor the memory of those killed by terrorists, those who died saving lives, and those who have protected America, and the world, since the deadliest Terrorist Attack in Human History.