Teen Court Research Paper

Teen courts (also known as youth courts or peer courts) are specialized diversion programs for young offenders that use court-like procedures in courtroom settings. It is an alternative for first time teenaged offenders. The typical delinquent youth referred to teen court is probably 12 to 15 years old, in trouble for the first time, and charged with vandalism, stealing or other non-violent offense. The teen court offers a non-binding, informal alternative to the regular juvenile court process. In most cases, young offenders agree to participate in teen court as a way of avoiding formal prosecution and adjudication in juvenile court. If they agree to participate, but then refuse to comply with teen court sanctions, young offenders risk being returned to juvenile court to face their original charges. In our society, we need Teen Courts in order to prevent delinquent teens from falling into labels, teach them valuable lessons, and to teach teens about the criminal justice system. …show more content…
According to Scott Smith in the article Peer-Driven Justice: Development and Validation of the Teen Court Peer Influence Scale, “63% of teenagers who experience teen court agree ‘Peer volunteers can change my belief about criminal behavior” (Smith, 2010, 286). This shows the value that the peer volunteers have on the teenagers in teen court. The increased use of Teen Courts would help these teenagers to change and grow. Additionally, in the article Perceptions and Outcomes following Teen Court Involvement, a respondent was quoted saying, “Now I’m focused on my work. I don’t tell everyone my business. I think I’m a better person now” (Bright, 2015, p.143). The self-realization of this teenager possibly might not have happened if it were not for the Teen Court