Reno Justice Court

Mission / Objective

The Kids Court program serves 5th and 6th grade elementary students throughout the Truckee meadows. The students are provided with a script and their parents receive subpoena invitations to attend the trial. The students take over the courtroom and play all the parts of a real trial, including: judge, lawyers, jurors, court reporters, witness and bailiffs. The jurors deliberate to reach a verdict.

Upon completion of the trial, the students put away their costumes, and two inmates are brought into the courtroom to share their stories of the choices they have made that brought them into the criminal justice system. They answer the students’ questions about decision-making and what drove them to join gangs, to use drugs, to drop out of school, and what they would do differently if they could go back in time.

The students learn about both the criminal and civil aspects of the American justice system. They also visit with Judges who answer their questions about the judicial process.