It all started when my brother told me he saw a fire on a trail in our backyard. Like any other little kid we freaked out and thought the house was going to burn down. We could hear and see the flames; it was actually a pretty big fire. Luckily my brother told my dad and my dad called 911. A big fireman kept asking me and my brother questions on how we discovered the fire. I told the man that I was not the one who saw it but my brother was. He then went to my brother and focused mainly on him and no one else. He asked him all sorts of questions because he thought the story of him just walking along and finding a fire seemed a little fishy. Finally he squeezed the truth from my brother and found out that my brother had accidentally started the fire.
So... What does this have to do with peer court? Well, my brother was only 14 or 15 and the fire he created was only an accident so they decided to put him in peer court. They didn't think he deserved to be fined and then put into juvenile hall for an accident. My family had never heard of peer court before and were intrigued by the idea of it and so was I. One of my brothers dispositions was to serve three nights as a juror on future cases and I decided to tag along. I was super scared at first but warmed up to the idea of it and the people there. I became quite fond of it. Of course my dad did have to push me to do it a little because I was very hesitant. I was scared because I didn't know what to expect.
Peer court was one of the best decisions I ever made because I met a lot of cool people through the program and it looks good for colleges. I pushed my boundaries a little and it worked out well for me.
It's kinda cool how things work out sometimes; I'm sure your brother had no idea that his mistake would benefit you in the end.
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