Schools - At eye level: more student judge projects planned
The pupils' court in the Harz region, which was founded in 2008, will no longer remain the only one in Saxony-Anhalt, according to the Ministry of Justice. The expansion of the pupils' court project to other regions is planned for 2024, the ministry announced on the occasion of the visit by Justice Minister Franziska Weidinger (CDU) on Saturday at the pupils' judges' end-of-year party in Wernigerode. Three independent organizations had expressed concrete interest. Currently, school boards in Halle, Gardelegen and in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz are being sought. Concrete talks are already underway, according to the statement.
Weidinger called the project in the Harz region a "success story with a pervasive effect". It should serve as a model for the new committees. Specifically, pupils who have been trained for several months sit in court at a neutral location to adjudicate crimes committed by their peers and impose sanctions, for example for minor cases of theft, insult or assault. Sanctions can include, for example, an apology, community service hours or a social training course. Everything is voluntary and the young first-time offenders always confess.
"The three- to four-member committees have heard 24 cases this year," initiator Evelyn Zinke from the Harz Anti-Violence Center (AGZ) told the German Press Agency. "On average, there have always been around 30 to 40 in recent years." At the start 15 years ago, there were 16 cases that were brought to the school judges by the public prosecutor's office.
According to Zinke, more than 90 student judges have been trained since the project began. "The active judges are between 14 and 18 years old." Some of the older ones help for a while as tutors and pass on their knowledge and experience, said the 59-year-old consultant for confrontational pedagogy. Negotiations usually take place on the last Saturday of the month. "It can be very emotional at times," said Zinke, who is currently one of three project managers for the student committees. "Great care is taken to ensure that the sanctions are not only offense-related, but also appropriate."
Harz Anti-Violence Center
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Source: www.stern.de
