Who Is Involved in Your Case?

Youth AYC Members

Two Anchorage Youth Court (AYC) defense attorneys represent you in court. The job of these attorneys is to tell your side of the story during the sentencing hearing.

Two AYC prosecution attorneys tell the court what the authorities believe you did. 
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 Three AYC judges will decide your sentence. They use the information provided by the defense and prosecution to come up with a fair sentence for you.
 
​The clerk records the sentencing hearing. The bailiff tells everyone to stand when the judges enter the courtroom and escorts you to the AYC office after court is over.

Adult AYC Staff

The Peer Navigator is in charge of helping you complete your sentence.​

​The Legal Advisor answers any legal questions that the attorneys or judges may have.

​Confidentiality

The AYC members and employees involved in your case are not allowed to share information about it with anyone who is not involved in it, and are not allowed to talk about the case after the sentencing hearing is over. The only people who are allowed to tell people about the case are you and your family. 

Sentencing Hearing FAQs

What do I need to know about arriving for court?

Arrive at the AYC office at 303 K Street, in the basement of the Boney Courthouse.

You need to arrive 30 minutes before court. Plan ahead - parking is scarce and expensive. If you're going to take the bus, you should figure out the route the day before.

Can my friends or family attend my sentencing hearing?

Parents or guardians are encouraged but not required to attend. Siblings may attend with your permission. Friends are not allowed in court.

Do I get to speak with my defense attorneys before court?

One of your defense attorneys will call you one to two weeks before the date of your sentencing hearing. The call will last 30 minutes or so. During this call, your defense attorney will tell you when and where court is, explain your charges, tell you what will happen during court, and conduct a brief interview for background information that they will present during court.

​When you arrive at the AYC office at 303 K Street on the day of court, both of your defense attorneys will meet you there. Your attorneys will explain the sentence they are recommending for you and answer any questions you may have about the sentencing hearing.

Do I get to tell my side of the story during court?

​You can bring reference letters for the judges to consider, preferably written by an unrelated adult. The letters can be addressed "To Whom It May Concern" as if for a job application, to preserve confidentiality.
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If there is information about your case that the defense attorneys don't know, (for example, if an older friend pressured you to shoplift, or if you fought someone because they were spreading rumors about you), you should tell them. They will tell the judges this information during the sentencing hearing.

If there is any sensitive information about you or your family that you don't want anyone but the judges to hear, your defense attorney will approach the judges and whisper this information to them. Your attorney will always ask you for permission to share any personal information with the court.

During the sentencing hearing, the judges will ask you if you'd like to address the court on your own behalf. This is your chance to tell the judges anything you want them to know.

What do I wear to court?

Dress professionally if you can. Please avoid wearing jeans, t-shirts or sweats. If you do not have professional clothes, AYC can lend you an outfit to wear during your hearing. 

How long does court last?

Court lasts between 45 minutes to an hour.

Understanding Your Charges

When your defense attorney calls you before your sentencing hearing, they will read you your charging document. The charging document contains your charges (the crime you were charged with committing), and explains why the authorities believe you should be charged with this crime. If you disagree with what the authorities say happened, tell your attorney. 

Your attorney will ask you if you pled no contest to the charges in the charging document. If you don't understand what "no contest" means, your attorney will explain it to you.

You signed a "no-contest agreement" at McLaughlin, where you agreed to plead no contest in order to come to AYC.

What does "no contest" mean?

When you are charged with a crime, there are three ways you can respond to the charges. You can plead guilty, which means that you admit you committed the crime and accept the consequences for it. You can plead not guilty, which means that you deny having committed the crime and don't accept the consequences for it. Or you can plead no contest, which means that you neither admit nor deny having committed the crime, but you do accept the consequences. 

Role of the Defense Attorneys

Your defense attorneys present two pieces of information during court:

Background Information 

The defense attorneys present some background information about you during the sentencing hearing. This information includes your hobbies, favorite classes, job, plans for the future, achievements, any consequences you've received at home for this incident, what you've learned from this incident, and anything else you'd like the judges to know about you. 

Your defense attorneys will interview you over the phone or in-person at the AYC office before court to get this information. 

Sentencing Recommendation

The defense and prosecution attorneys each present a sentencing recommendation in court. The sentencing recommendation tells the judges what the attorneys believe your sentence should be.

The defense attorneys' sentencing recommendation contains only mitigating factors (factors that make the crime less serious). The prosecution attorneys' sentencing recommendation contains both mitigating factors and aggravating factors (factors that make the crime more serious).

Sentencing recommendations consist of both mandatory and optional components. The mandatory components are community work service hours and an essay. The optional components include educational classes, monetary restitution, and apology letters to the victim. Community work service hours are suspended from your sentence upon completion of optional sentencing components. 

The defense typically recommends a lighter sentence, and the prosecution typically recommends a harsher one.

The number of community work service hours, length of the essay, optional parts of the sentence, and number of hours suspended upon completion of optional parts of the sentence are all determined by the judges. The judges consider the aggravating and mitigating factors to decide your sentence. They may accept all, some, or none of the factors brought up in court. This means that your final sentence may look very different from the recommendations the attorneys present. 

What to Expect on the Day of Court

Arriving for Court

You and your family members will arrive for court 30 minutes before the scheduled time of your sentencing hearing. You will arrive at the AYC basement office at the Boney Courthouse on 303 K St.

Your defense attorneys will meet with you in the basement office before court to go over any information not covered in the phone call and answer any questions you may have.

The Sentencing Hearing

Part 1: Start of the Sentencing Hearing

• The bailiff begins court by saying “all rise” and the judges enter.
• The judges say “be seated,” state your name, case number, and ask if you are present in the courtroom.
• You stand up and answer, “Yes, your honor.”
• The judges will spell your name and ask if it is correct.
• The defense and prosecution attorneys identify themselves.
• Adults in the back of the courtroom (your family members and the legal advisor) identify themselves.
• Sometimes there are only 2 judges available for a case. When this happens, the judges will inform you that you have the right to have your sentence decided by 3 judges. The judge will tell you to talk with the defense attorneys and decide whether to go forward with just 2 judges or reschedule for a time when 3 judges are available.
• You will be asked to look at a copy of the “no-contest” agreement (in the defense attorney’s file) that you signed at McLaughlin.
• The judges will ask whether you read this agreement before signing it and whether you signed the agreement voluntarily and knowingly. You remain standing and answer, “yes/no, Your Honors.”
• The judges will ask whether you understand what "no contest" means. 
• A judge will read the charge(s) in the charging document.
• The prosecution will present a statement about the facts of the case, the witnesses and evidence. This is called the probable cause statement. 
• The judges will ask you if you understand the charge(s) against you and if you understand the case that the prosecution has against you.

Part 2: Attorneys Present Information

• The defense attorneys will present background information about you
• The prosecution attorneys will present their sentencing recommendation, including any aggravating and mitigating factors
• The defense attorneys will present their sentencing recommendation, including any mitigating factors.

Part 3: Judges Decide Sentence

• The judges will ask you if you would like to make a statement. This is not mandatory, and the judges will not hold it against you if you choose not to do so. 
• After your statement, if any, the bailiff will say "court is in recess," and will exit the courtroom to determine your sentence. 
• Everyone stays in the courtroom until the judges return with the sentence.
• The bailiff says "all rise," the judges re-enter the courtroom, read your sentence, explain the reasons behind your sentence, and make closing comments.
• The judges will ask if you accept the sentence, and give you a moment to tell your attorneys whether or not you accept the sentence.
• If you do not accept the sentence, you have the right to move for immediate reconsideration of the sentence. Your defense attorneys will explain to the judges why you don't accept the sentence at that time. The judges will then decide whether it is appropriate to change the sentence.
• If you accept the sentence, you still have the right to appeal your sentence within five weekdays. An appeal is considered by a panel of three new judges. 
• After you accept your sentence, the judges will say "court is adjourned."
• The bailiff will say "all rise," and the judges will exit the courtroom.

After The Sentencing Hearing

After the sentencing hearing, the bailiff will escort you and your family members from the courtroom to the AYC basement office.
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In the basement office, the peer navigator will explain the parts of the sentence, set out guidelines for writing the essay, explain classes, set up the community work service site, and set the deadline for completing the sentence.