New California Law Allows ‘Youth Court’ for Some Offenders Instead of Traditional Justice System

Some juvenile offenders in California will soon have the option of going to a youth court that uses “restorative justice practices,” after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation into law Aug. 20. Senate Bill 1005, authored by Assemblywoman Angelique Ashby, aims to “put young people back in control of their future, keeping low-level youth offenders out of the formal justice system through the use of juvenile justice courts,” the Sacramento Democrat said in a recent post on Instagram. In an Assembly Public Safety Committee analysis of her bill, she said SB 1005 creates a statute in California law that gives juveniles charged with certain minor offenses the right to choose the alternative justice system....