History of Youth Courts

According to the National Youth Court Database, in 1994 there were only 78 youth court programs in operation; as of February 2004, there are 900 youth court programs in operation in 48 states and the District of Columbia.

Conflicting accounts in the literature create challenges to tracing the exact beginnings of youth court programs.  One of the earliest known programs still in operation is the Naperville Youth Jury in Naperville, Illinois. Naperville's program started in June of 1972.  There are also anecdotal reports of a youth court that began operating in Horseheads, NY in 1968.

Do you have information on programs that were operating before 1968? If so, please let us know about them by submitting the following form:

History of Teen/Youth Courts Form