Peer Court

Peer Court is a unique juvenile crime diversion program that offers both a second chance to first-time juvenile offenders who have committed non-violent offenses and a valuable educational experience to all high school students in Orange County. Peer Court sessions are held on school campuses across Orange County. Sitting judges preside, attorneys advise and high school students designated as “jurors” assess the cases presented and assign appropriate sanctions. Students in the audience observe and participate in an interactive curriculum, learning about the justice system and the importance of making responsible decisions.

Peer Court Sessions

CRF-OC hosts both in-person and virtual Peer Court sessions. Virtual sessions are open to all Orange County high school students. Jurors for in-person sessions are from the school that is hosting. In order to be eligible to serve as a juror, students must first complete a 1-hour virtual training. Below are the dates of our upcoming trainings. Once a student has completed the training, they will be on a list of eligible jurors. When a virtual Peer Court session is scheduled, we will inform the trained jurors on how they can register to serve on the jury. When an in-person Peer Court session is scheduled, students will be informed through the school.

Upcoming Juror Training Sessions:

Students must use their personal email to register (not their school-issued one) in order to ensure they receive communications from CRF-OC staff. Virtual Peer Court sessions are filled on a first come, first served basis.

Our next Peer Court training will be Monday, January 13th at 4:00pm. Open to Orange County high school students, you must register to join the training:

Peer Court Juror Training Registration

Schools

If your school is interested in participating in the Peer Court program, please contact CRF-OC staff. Students of schools that do not participate in the Peer Court program are welcome to attend any of our virtual or summer sessions.

The Peer Court sessions that are held at schools are only open to students that attend that school.

Our Partners

• Waymakers (formerly Community Service Programs, Inc.)
• Orange County Probation Department
• Orange County Superior Court
• Orange County Department of Education
• Orange County District Attorney’s Office
• Local Police Departments
• Local Law Firms

Sponsorship

For sponsorship information, contact CRF-OC Executive Director Shara Witkin.