Add adolescent 'rites of passage' to the mix: binge drinking, drug taking, vandalism and violence, and it's easy to understand the concerns of parents, teachers and the judiciary, as some of the next generation slip towards a life of crime.

Teens on Trial, a new six-part series, aims to halt this depressing decline at the first hurdle, by being the first to import an American concept that tackles minor youth crime via the proven method of peer pressure. The system allows teenagers to run a courtroom themselves and try their wayward peers. For Teens on Trial, a new courtroom was set up in a disused courthouse in North London. Filming took place inside the jury.

This Teen Court adopts the American model, with teenagers (aged 16 years and under) taking key roles: advocates, clerks, ushers and jurors. Where this differs from the real juvenile criminal courts is that the Teen Court 'defendants' have already admitted their guilt. Juror may ask the offenders questions and must agree on a punishment that fits the crime and that will address the reality of re-offending. An adult judge presides to 'pass sentence'. For Teens on Trial, the Bar Council loaned their spokesman JOHN COOPER, from the Attorney General's A-List to ensure fair play.

And the model has been proven to work. Recidivism rates have dropped to 6 - 9% in many Teen Courts, compared to an average of 25% in traditional courts. Could this be the best way to counter the growing effect of the UK's 'Yob Culture'?