Saxony-Anhalt expands student judge project for young people!

Saxony-Anhalt expands student judge project for young people!

The initiatives to combat juvenile crime in Germany are gaining momentum: Saxony-Anhalt is expanding the student judges project, which has been considered a successful prevention tool since 2008. With this innovative approach, young people between the ages of 14 and 17 can sanction their peers in special committees. The idea behind it is to sensitize children and young people to a life without crime, violence and racism. n-tv reports that independent providers can apply for the third selection round of the project until July 25, 2025.

In these student committees, specially trained young people will talk to their peers in neutral places about their potentially criminal actions such as theft, insults or physical harm. Together they determine sanctions that are based on the lives of those affected. The aim of the project is to prepare young people to take responsibility for their actions. The public prosecutor decides whether a procedure is suitable for the student court. The consent of the accused and their legal guardians is also important.

Successful training of student judges

Ten new student judges were recently appointed in the Harz district. On December 18, 2021, Justice Minister Franziska Weidinger presented the certificates to the young people who were part of the “Student Committee” project of the Anti Violence Center Harz e. V. were trained. At this celebration, the minister highlighted the students' commitment and expressed the hope that the project will be taken up in other districts and independent cities. Loud MJ Saxony-Anhalt Young people who have committed a crime can usually be referred by the public prosecutor to the student judge after confessing.

The student judges have the task of talking to their peers who have committed crimes about crimes such as shoplifting, insults or driving without a license. They independently determine the sanctions that result from the committee meetings, whereby the limits of the possible sanctions are determined by the applicable law.

Background and prevention approaches

The effective prevention of juvenile crime requires a comprehensive examination of the causes. These range from socioeconomic factors to family backgrounds and peer influences. Each of these elements affects the behavior of young people. LivingQuarter emphasizes that school programs to promote social skills and conflict resolution skills are particularly important in order to counteract this preventively.

The Youth Court Act (JGG) forms the legal framework for juvenile delinquency in Germany and is strongly oriented towards educational measures rather than punishment. The aim is to enable young people to integrate positively into society.

Overall, integrating programs like student judges is a promising way to help youth develop healthy social behaviors. The combination of peers supporting each other and taking responsibility could help reduce youth crime in the long term.