A teen court (sometimes called youth court or peer court) is a
problem-solving court within the
juvenile justice system where teens charged with certain types of offenses can be sentenced by a jury of same-aged peers.
Their purpose is to provide an alternative disposition for
juveniles who have committed a
delinquent
Delinquent or delinquents may refer to:
* A person who commits a felony
* A juvenile delinquent, often shortened as delinquent is a young person (under 18) who fails to do that which is required by law; see juvenile delinquency
* A person who fai ...
act, have committed a
minor offense, or have been charged with a
misdemeanor
A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...
, and are otherwise eligible for
diversion. Depending on their training, community support, and agreements with traditional court systems, most teen or youth courts are recognized as valid, legal venues for the process of
hearing cases,
sentencing
In law, a sentence is the punishment for a crime ordered by a trial court after conviction in a criminal procedure, normally at the conclusion of a trial. A sentence may consist of imprisonment, a fine, or other sanctions. Sentences for mult ...
and sentence fulfillment. Teen courts and their verdicts are not authorized by
public law
Public law is the part of law that governs relations between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, between different branches of governments, as well as relationships between persons that are of direct ...
.
Court structure
Teen courts are staffed by youth
volunteers
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
who serve in various capacities within the program, trained and
acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.
Acting involves a broad r ...
in the roles of
jurors,
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
s,
bailiff
A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...
s, and
clerks. Teen courts usually function in cooperation with local
juvenile court
A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...
s and
youth detention centers, middle and high schools, and/or community organizations such as the
YMCA. Most teen courts are sentencing courts in which the offender has already admitted guilt or pleaded
no contest.
Many teen courts operate much like a traditional
court, holding hearings before a judge and jury with the jury deliberating to determine an appropriate disposition. Other courts employ different structures, such as a judge-panel model which includes a panel of 3 to 6 youth judges who collectively hear, deliberate, and sentence the offender.
Often, sentences will involve the defendant's making
restitution to someone harmed or inconvenienced by their actions, or creating an informational awareness project about
health,
safety,
respect
Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of ...
, or another topic relevant to the offense. One of the more common sentences is community service. In many jury-based programs it is mandatory that the offender serve on a teen court jury. In some cases, educational workshops are required as part of the sentence, usually in cases involving
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
or
drug
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
charges.
Youth volunteers may be eligible for school or
community service credits through their schools, and community awards such as the
President's Volunteer Service Award. Adult volunteers serve as trainers, advisors and coordinators of the teen courts; some courts have a small paid staff.
Principles and results
Teen or youth courts provide an alternative court system through which juvenile
offenders can be heard and judged by their
peers
Peers may refer to:
People
* Donald Peers
* Edgar Allison Peers, English academician
* Gavin Peers
* John Peers, Australian tennis player
* Kerry Peers
* Mark Peers
* Michael Peers
* Steve Peers
* Teddy Peers (1886–1935), Welsh international ...
. Most teen courts have strict guidelines for youth volunteers who participate in the sentencing process, which generally includes
training, a modified
bar exam,
peer mentoring and compliance with a
code of conduct. Many youth courts establish a youth
bar association
A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...
or
ethics body which helps to set
guidelines for ethical and fair procedure.
Because cases heard by teen courts are ''real'' cases, participants in teen court programs are required to sign an
oath of
confidentiality regarding any information which comes to their knowledge in the course of the teen court case presentation.
State-approved teen courts implement
restorative justice and attempt to reintegrate the youth offender to the community while sending appropriate messages to the offender regarding unacceptable behavior. The basic principles of restorative justice are community protection, competency development, and accountability. This system seeks to address the root causes of juvenile offenses and to reduce
recidivism
Recidivism (; from ''recidive'' and ''ism'', from Latin ''recidīvus'' "recurring", from ''re-'' "back" and ''cadō'' "I fall") is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of th ...
. The
recidivism rate
Recidivism (; from ''recidive'' and ''ism'', from Latin ''recidīvus'' "recurring", from ''re-'' "back" and ''cadō'' "I fall") is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of th ...
s for standard programs in several states range from 6%-9%, which is less than half of the traditional recidivism rate for juvenile offenders, which hovers around 20%.
Restorative justice principles require the offender to make amends to the victim and/or the community and provide opportunities for victims and community members to participate in the
juvenile justice process, providing valued input in
decision making
In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decisionmaking) is regarded as the cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options. It could be either rati ...
. Because of the active role the victim plays, qualitative assessments can be made into victim impact and victim satisfaction.
See also
*
Arbitration
Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...
*
Conflict resolution research
Conflict resolution is any reduction in the severity of a conflict. It may involve conflict management, in which the parties continue the conflict but adopt less extreme tactics; settlement, in which they reach agreement on enough issues that the c ...
*
Dispute resolution
*
Family therapy
Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychology and clinical social work that works with families and couples in intimate relationsh ...
*
Mediation
Mediation is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party neutral assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are ...
*
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
*
Restorative justice
*
Youth crime
Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person w ...
*
Youth justice in England and Wales
*
Youth voice
References
{{reflist
External links
National Association of Youth Courts- comprehensive website on youth courts (established in 2007),
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
.
United Youth Courts of Alaska websiteArizona Teen Court Association websiteFlorida Association of Teen Courts websiteNew York State Youth Courts Association website- from the
Education Resources Information Center Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education,
Bloomington, Indiana.
Youth Courts International websiteGlobal Youth Justice Website
Courts by type
Juvenile courts
Dispute resolution