Jason Tashea first came across youth courts in 1997 as a bailiff for the Anchorage Youth Court program, where he then served as a member, defender, prosecutor, and presiding judge until 2003.

He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Oregon in 2012.

He interned at the American Bar Association's (ABA) Rule of Law Initiative in Yerevan, Armenia, and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime in Vienna, Austria, where he actively promoted juvenile justice reform at both organizations.

His youth court proposal was enthusiastically supported by ABA, translated into Armenian and given to the Armenia Ministry of Justice for adoption.

This experience led him to co-found Youth Courts International to promote and implement youth courts at the international level, beyond the US. Jason just returned from 10 months in Kosovo as a Fulbright Fellow studying diversion and promoting youth courts.

Jason is the juvenile justice policy director for Advocates for Children and Youth. More about YCI at www.youthcourtsinternational.org