Faqs

Questions

  1. What is youth court?
  2. Who operates youth court?
  3. How old do I have to be to participate in youth court as a volunteer?
  4. What type of volunteer roles do youth courts have for youth?
  5. What are the requirements to be a defendant?
  6. Are all youth courts the same?
  7. Who serves on a youth court jury?
  8. Is there a teen court in my city?
  9. How do you get a youth court started?

Answers

A. What is a youth court?
Youth courts ( also called teen courts, peer courts, student courts ) are programs where youth are sentenced by their peers.

B. Who operates youth courts?
Youth courts are operated by different types of agencies in different communities. Some communities have a youth court operated by a school or by the school district. Other communities have youth courts that are operated by a juvenile, family or municipal court, probation department, or law enforcement agency. Still other communities might have a youth court operated by a private nonprofit organization, such as a Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, or Youth Service Bureau, or the youth court might be incorporated as a nonprofit organization itself.

There is no single agency that is better at operating a youth court than another. If you want to learn more about advantages and disadvantages to operating youth courts in juvenile justice-based, community-based, or school-based settings, click here.

C. How old do I have to be to participate in youth court as a volunteer?
The exact age requirements for participating as a volunteer in youth court vary from program to program.  In general, youth volunteers range from 12 – 18 years old.

D. What type of volunteer roles do youth courts have for youth?
Depending on the type of program model a youth court follows, the types of volunteer roles that youth typically can assume include juror, defense attorney, prosecuting attorney, bailiff, clerk, and judge. Other volunteer roles that youth assume in youth courts can include advisory board members, peer mentors, case investigator, and greeter.  Youth also can be very helpful to programs by assisting in recruiting new volunteers and raising funds for the program.  The exact roles that a youth court will have available for youth volunteers will vary, but this will give you an idea of what you might expect.

E. What are the requirements to be a defendant?
Every youth court has its own requirements for the types of offenses or problem behaviors they will address.  In general, most youth courts handle first-time, misdemeanor, and non-violent cases.  Some also handle minor school disciplinary problems. See a list of some of the types of offenses that youth courts report they will handle.

F. Are all youth courts the same?
No, all youth courts are not the same. All youth courts do follow the same main purpose – youth sentencing their peers. However, how youth courts operate and the types of services they offer vary considerably across the country. For example, there are different program models
(i.e., the structure of youth court hearings) that youth courts can follow. Click here to find out more about youth court program models. Youth courts also differ in the type of cases they will handle, the age of youth they will accept as defendants and volunteers, how many times they hold youth court hearings a month, the number of cases they handle a year, the amount and type of training that youth volunteers receive, the sentencing guidelines they follow, etc.

G. Who serves on a youth court jury?
Only youth are allowed to serve on a youth court jury. The youth might be student volunteers or they might be former respondents or defendants who are serving on the jury as part of their youth court disposition.

H. Is there a youth court in my city?
There are 1070 youth courts in 48 states and the District of Columbia. To find out if there is a youth court in your city or nearby, click here.

I. How do you get a youth court started?
If your community doesn’t have a youth court and you are interested in starting one, then the first step to take is to gather as much information as you can about youth courts and find an adult in your community who will be willing to work with you on getting the program established. Some adults who may be helpful include teachers, principals, law enforcement officers, attorneys, or judges.

View some tips for starting a youth court.