TEEN COURT

Teen Court offers youth, court-involved and non-court-involved, the opportunity to actively participate in a peer-to-peer decision-making process for youth who violate the law. Participants also gain hands-on knowledge of the juvenile and criminal justice systems. The hearings are held at Juvenile Court. Youth volunteers serve as judges. Defendants are questioned by both the teen defense and prosecution attorneys to determine the circumstances of the offense. After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances, the teen jury determines a fair and constructive sentence, which may include community service and participation in future teen court sessions, counseling, attending educational programs, and writing essays and letters of apology to the victim.