Home   How Does It Work?   Easy Exchange Website   FAQ- Questions   Why TimeBanking?   Membership Info     Blog Contact Us   Help Spread the Word   Become a Sponsor   About Us  TimeBank USA Info About TimeBanking *Members Only*   Discussion Boards   LOGIN-Exchange Website Ironclad, Simple Privacy Policy All membership info and exchange records are fully private and will never be shared in any way with any person or corporate entity. Everyone is valued honoured and empowered to add their unique value to their neighbours and community.  Email Us Become a Sponsor of the TimeBank   TimeBank Phone: 778-232-5388 Join-NOW     Lower Mainland TimeBank  B.C., Canada Volunteers to help run and grow the TimeBank are very welcome! "Community is the relationships it’s members build and share." Want more info on the History and principles behind TimeBanks:  TimeBanks USA Story: The Youth Court in Washington DC is a unique experiment to turn justice over to teenagers, not as a liberal fantasy, but as a hard-nosed method of getting peers to reinforce good behavior in a way that the courts seem unable to do. Over half the young black males in Washington DC between the ages of 18 and 24 are currently under court jurisdiction, in prison, on parole, or on probation. The juvenile justice system is the feeder, the supply line. The journey starts with a juvenile's first brush with the law and the response he gets. Typically, the prosecutor's office simply 'No papers' the case. They have to deal with hardened criminals, repeat offenders. By the third arrest, a formal juvenile proceeding functions more as a rite of passage. In April 1996, the District of Columbis courts authorized a Time Dollar Youth Court as a way to divert non-violent first offenders from entering the juvenile justice system. First offenders come before a jury of their peers who have the authority to sentence them to community service, restitution, counseling, an apology, and jury duty. Community service includes being an after-school tutor, helping at DC kitchen to feed the homeless, assignments to resident councils in public housing, and placements with churches helping seniors. The Youth Court is successful at reducing recidivism because it provides a forum whereby young people can reinforce messages to each other to be sensible—the opposite of the normal situation. Jury pools have been set up at six public housing complexes, a public school, and a special charter school for youngsters living in shelters and halfway houses. Because jury duty is now a mandatory element of each sentence, there are additional juries composed 100% of delinquents serving a portion of their sentence. All jurors earn Time Dollars for jury duty, mentoring, and training; dollars they can redeem for recycled computer. The volume has increased so that now, with between seven and ten hearings a week, the Time Dollar Youth Court is handling more than one-third of the first-time juvenile offenders in the District.