Federal Youth Court Program

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Youth Court E-update

Date: November 2005 - (Download PDF Version)

Topic: Offenses Not Accepted

Question: The American Bar Association, through a subcontract from the NYCC and OJJDP, is developing a Guidebook on the types of offenses that youth courts should accept. One thing that the advisory committee would like to know is what type of cases that your program makes a policy of NOT accepting. It might also be helpful if you would briefly explain why that policy decision was made.

Responses from Coordinators:

Northwest Youth Services/Whatcom Co Teen Court
Cathy Beaty
Northwest Youth Services
1020 N. State Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
Phone: 360-734-9862 Ext. 130 Fax: 360-734-4720
Email: cathybnwys@hotmail.com
Website: www.northwestyouthservices.org

We do not accept any gang related offenses because of safety concerns. We also do not accept domestic violence out of respect to the youth to not air their family problems in an open courtroom with peers present.

Fort Lupton High School Teen Court
Roberta Chacon Caciari
Faculty Volunteer Representative
Fort Lupton High School
530 Reynolds
Fort Lupton, CO 80621
Phone: 303-857-7115 Fax: 303-857-7179
Email: rchacon@ftlupton.k12.co.us:

Most of the cases we do involve graffiti & fighting, we don't do any felony or traffic tickets. Actually, the decision to do this was made by our city judge and council.

Wichita County Teen Court
Myra Ann Weeks
Coordinator
900 Seventh Street, Room 212
Wichita Falls, TX 76301
Phone: 940-716-8575 Fax: 940-716-8598
Email: Myra.Weeks@co.wichita.tx.us
Website: www.wcteencourt.org

We do not accept any offenses that above a misdemeanor “c” in Texas. Meaning they are not jailable offenses if committed by an adult. (All juvenile offenses fall under family code which is civil law in Texas).

Imperial County Peer Court
Fernando Moreno
DPO III
Imperial County Probation Department
324 Applestill Road
El Centro, CA 92243
Phone: 760-339-6229 Fax: 760-352-8933
Email: fernandomoreno@imperialcounty.net:

In reference to your request, we do not accept Felony cases. All felony cases must be reviewed by the District Attorney. No sex cases, they are not appropriate for peer court.
All misdemeanor cases are reviewed. Depending on the information obtained from the minor and parents a decision is made to accept or not to accept the case. The interview process lasts an average of 45 minutes.

Thank you very much, if any further questions please e-mail or contact this officer.

Teen Court of Jefferson County Alabama
Kerri Williamson
Teen Court Coordinator
Alabama Center for Law & Civic Education
120 2nd Court North
Birmingham, AL 35204
Phone: 205-264-8174 Fax: 205-325-4882
Email: williamsonk@jccal.org
Website: www.aclce.org

We do not accept the following cases:

Domestic Violence - This is at the request of our Family Court judges. They want to handle all DV cases. Weapon charges, an offense which a weapon was used, or cases with violence (we will take simple assault and affray cases as long as there are no injuries)- This is for the safety of our Teen Court volunteers

Wyandotte County Youth Court
Julie Pieri
Youth Court Coordinator
KVC Behavioral Healthcare
607 Tauromee
Kansas City, KS 66101
Phone: 913-621-3523 Fax: 913-621-1669
Email: jpieri@kvc.org

Our program only accepts person misdemeanor crimes such as battery, trespassing, assault, obstruction, disorderly conduct. We serve over 170 clients per year.

We do NOT accept any incident involving weapons, drugs or truancy.
In Wyandotte County, there are separate diversion programs run through district court that addresses drugs and truancy. Other charges such as criminal damage which are likely to have restitution are also directed through a district court diversion.

We have made it a policy not to accept individuals who have had several prior arrests (even if no charges were filed) or those who have repeatedly run away as these clients typically fail to participate and do not benefit from our program. We are also unable to accept youth in state custody due to a lack of parental support.

King County District Court - Issaquah Courthouse
Mary Ann Ottinger
5415 220th Avenue SE
Issaquah, WA 98029
Phone: 206-296-7773 Fax: 206-296-0591
Email: maryann.ottinger@METROKC.GOV:

The four Student Courts I supervise ONLY handle traffic infractions. We do not allow cases involving accidents or citations for Negligent Driving to be referred to the Student Court. Additionally, if a student has already received a "deferred finding" which is allowed under Washington law, the student may not take his or her subsequent case to the Student Court.

Chicago Policy Peer Jury Programs
Clifton Underwood
Peer Jury Coordinator
Chicago Police Dept.
3510 S. Michigan, Room 4081
Chicago, IL 60653
Phone: 312-745-5607 Fax: 312-745-6832
Email: clifton.underwood@chicagopolice.org:

In Chicago, we will not accept traffic offenses. The penalties offered should be enforceable by a higher jurisdiction than peers. Especially when traffic accidents or serious injuries occur, Courts can issue orders that can extend beyond the current jurisdiction, which can include arrest or detention for violations.

Silverton/Mt. Angel Youth Peer Court
Cynthia Schaeffer
Coordinator
City of Silverton
306 S. Water St
Silverton, OR 97381
Phone: 503-873-1995 Fax: 503-873-7452
Email: cschaeffer@silverton.or.us:

Our court is somewhat unique, in that we have a juvenile municipal court that youth offenders must attend prior to coming to peer court. The cases we can and cannot receive in our court is determined by the state legislature because they designate what kind of cases can and cannot be seen in municipal court and all youth offenders must come before the juv. muni judge before pc diversion. The plus side to this 'path' is that if offenders do not successfully complete pc, they will return to the juv. muni ct. and receive a sentence from the judge rather than getting little or no action from an overwhelmed county juvenile system. It offers our court a significant "backbone" of community accountability.

We do not receive any offenses of a violent nature, e.g. harassment, disorderly conduct, possession of a concealed weapon, etc.. We do not receive any felony offenses.

We DO see:
MIP Alcohol, Possession of Less Than an Ounce Marijuana and Possession of a Controlled Substance within a 1000' of a School, MIP Tobacco, Theft II & III, Criminal Trespass I & II, Criminal Mischief II & III, Reckless Burning, Curfew, Driving without a License or Permit, Driving without Proof of Insurance (these last two only involve youth 15 yrs. and younger - otherwise they would go to traffic court for these or similar violations.)

Teen Court
John Heyne
Teen Court/Volunteer Coordinator
Clerk of the Circuit Court
20 N. Main Street, Rm 251
Brooksville, FL 34601-2800
Phone: 352-540-6263 Fax: 352-754-4235
Email: jheyne@co.hernando.fl.us
Website: www.co.hernando.fl.us

HERNANDO COUNTY TEEN COURT
GUIDELINES FOR DECLINING A TEEN COURT CASE

A. Juvenile is not between the ages of 10 and 17.
B. Juvenile is not a resident of Hernando County or is not a student in the Hernando County school system. Juvenile is eligible for Teen Court if enrolled in private school, home school, GED program or schooled at home for school board approved health reasons.
C. Juvenile has a prior record of a formal criminal charge.
D. Juvenile does not appear for interview or hearing after two notices for either.
E. The offense does not meet Teen Court criteria, i.e., contains domestic violence, reports of same, sexual misconduct or is a felony.
F. The juvenile is not pleading guilty to the offense.
G. The juvenile does not agree with the offense report.
H. The juvenile or juvenile’s guardian(s) want the case to be heard before a judge.
I. The juvenile is unable to comply with the mandatory sentencing requirements.
J. There are any questions concerning restitution.
K. The coordinator determines that the juvenile is not appropriate for Teen Court. The determination is made after the interview if the juvenile is uncooperative, or has a serious problem that would directly affect the Teen Court process such as being a disruptive force on the jury.
L. A case may be declined up until the juvenile and parent sign the sentencing contract at the post-hearing exit interview. Following the signing of the contract, the only disposition will be a Successful or Unsuccessful report.

Warren County Youth Court
Kathryn Price
Youth Court Director
Council for Prevention of Alcohol and Substance Abuse
346 Main Street, Suite 2
Hudson Falls, NY 12839
Phone: 518-746-1527 Fax: 518-746-1779
Email: warrenctythcrt@yahoo.com:

We currently do not accept moving violations, including driving while under the influence. We accept most cases that are misdemeanors, violations, and infractions.

We accept low-level felonies on a limited case by case basis. We have accepted only sixteen felonies(classified using the TEAM YC program) to the present date. The cases include burglary and higher level larceny charges. These cases are considered on a limited basis taking into account the circumstances and the individual.

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Ignacio Teen Court
Barbara Cummins
Teen Court Coordinator
Southern Ute Community Action Programs
P.O. Box 800
Ignacio, CO 81137
Phone: 970-563-9235 Fax: 970-563-4504
Email: bcummins@sucap.org

We do not accept truancy and absence offenses. We feel that the schools have a hard enough time enforcing these issues (often without much success) that we would not really have any authority (or backing) to enforce consequences for these offenses. We also do not take dress code violations because this is again a policy that even most schools have a difficult time enforcing, if they do at all. We exclude alcohol and drug violations from schools in our area because these offenses go right to the police departments and we may then get the offense through the regular court system anyway. When we get these infractions through the courts we have more authority to enforce our consequences because we can kick the cases back to the referring agency if the defendants do not comply.

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Placer County Peer Court
Karen Green
Peer Court Coordinator
671 Newcastle Road., Suite 7
Newcastle, CA 95658
Phone: 916-663-9227 Ext. 2# Fax: 916-663-2965
Email: placerpeercourt@aol.com
Website: www.peercourt.com

While Karen will be attending the ABA meeting in Chicago, I would like to respond to the question. The only cases Placer County Peer Court does not accept are murder and molest. And we only handle first time offenders.

Youth Court
Alan Palomino
Deputy Probation Officer Senior
Mohave County Probation Department
P.O. Box 7000
Kingman, AZ 86402-7000
Phone: 928-753-0741 Ext. 4467 Fax: 928-753-1636
Email: apalomin@courts.sp.state.az.us
Website: www.mohavecourts.com

We do not submit sexual oriented offenses before the youth courts. Generally speaking, any type of offense that may be difficult for the victim (or maybe even the youth) we do not submit. Most referrals tend to be shoplifting, offenses occurring at school, minor property offenses or misdemeanors. Obviously, the more serious offenses and felonies tend to be filed on.

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Montrose Area Teen Court
William Putman
Coordinator
930 South 1st Street
Montrose, CO 81401
Phone: 970-252-2578 Fax: 970-252-2539
Email: putman@montrose.net

Our teen court accepts all petty offense cases. As a general rule we do not accept repeat offenders.

Mackinac County Circuit Court, Family Division
Mark MacDonald
Juvenile Officer
100 Marley Street
St. Ignace, MI 49781
Phone: 906-643-7319 Fax: 906-643-7302
Email: p49@voyager.net

The teen jury program for Mackinac and Luce Counties, Michigan, generally does not convene for moderate to high level felony offenses or any assaultive offenses. It also does not handle the very least serious misdemeanor cases (i.e., mere possession of tobacco, runaways, etc.) or traffic infractions. The former require judicial decision making due to their seriousness and possible need for placement. The latter are handled by diversion or other procedures that are even less restrictive than an informal probation through a teen jury.

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Mat-Su Youth Court
Lisa Albert-Konecky
Program Coordinator
City of Wasilla
290 E. Herning Ave
Wasilla, AK 99654
Phone: 907-373-9045 Fax: 907-373-9075
Email: msyc@ci.wasilla.ak.us
Website: www.cityofwasilla.com/youthcourt/

The Mat-Su Youth Court does not accept felony cases because of state law prohibiting felonies. But, Juvenile Probation has the option to reduce the charge for first-time offenders to a misdemeanor if they feel it is appropriate to do so. This happens almost always with students caught at school with marijuana, which is a Class C felony.

MSYC does not generally accept Domestic Violence cases. There have been a very few exceptions, as when the family agrees that the student would benefit from the youth court experience.

Seminole County Teen Court
Jennifer Taylor
Teen Court Coordinator
PAY Program
190 Bush Boulevard
Sanford, FL 32773
Phone: 407-665-5364 Fax: 407-665-5365
Email: jtaylor02@seminolecountyfl.gov

Our Teen Court does not accept violent crimes, drug charges or felonies. The reason behind this decision is that we do not have the funds to provide services to those defendants who have more severe service needs. Under the PAY program, we also have a department called JASP and those cases referred to diversion who have special service needs are referred to JASP.

Teri Pectol
Program Manager
Utah Peer Court
Utah Highway Safety Office
5263 S. Commerce Drive, Suite 202
Salt Lake City, UT 84107
Phone: 801-293-2482 Fax: 801-293-2498
Email: tpectol@utah.gov

In Utah, most Youth/Peer Courts will not accept possession of alcohol by a minor offenses. This is very frustrating to me. I'm not sure about how to go about changing this...

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Montrose Area Teen Court
William Putman
Coordinator
930 South 1st Street
Montrose, CO 81401
Phone: 970-252-2578 Fax: 970-252-2539
Email: putman@montrose.net

Our teen court only handles petty offense cases--of all types. This is governed by state law. We generally do not handle repeat offenders--that is repeat offenders for the same offense such as theft. We do make exceptions on a case by case basis. We normally do not accept repeat offenders because they apparently did not benefit from going through the teen court process.

Dakota County Peer Court
Barbara Jacobson
Project Coordinator
Dakota County Attorney's Office
1560 Highway 55
Hastings, MN 55016
Phone: 651-438-4438 Fax: 651-438-4499
Email: Barb.Jacobson@co.dakota.mn.us

Judge Thomas Poch decided not to accept any cases where a juvenile was bullied into a fight. We also do not accept excessively violent cases of Fifth Degree Assault or cases that involve high amounts of restitution.

Martha Tucker
Court Services Assistant
City of Irving
P.O. Box 152288
Irving, TX 75015-2288
Phone: 972-721-3601 Fax: 972-721-2389
Email: mtucker@ci.irving.tx.us
Website: www.ci.irving.tx.us/courts/welcomet.htm

We accept all Class C misdemeanor offenses—except the following:

Minor in Possession of Alcohol

DUI

Tobacco Use or Possession by a Minor

We don’t take these because the Texas Legislature has set the penalty for these offenses. Minors with alcohol offenses are required to complete an Alcohol Awareness class, do a certain number of alcohol-related community service, and pay part of the fine. Tobacco offenders are required to complete a tobacco awareness class and pay court costs. In the above cases the citations are dismissed if requirements are fulfilled.

We feel like taking them through Teen Court and requiring community service is double punishment.

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Jean Fieler
Executive Director
Suwannee County Teen Court
Suwannee County Clerk of the Circuit Court
200 South Ohio Avenue
Live Oak, FL 32064
Phone: 386-362-0557 Fax: 386-362-0548
Email: jeanfieler@hotmail.com
Website: www.suwclerk.org

Suwannee Teen Court does not accept DUI's and sex offenses.

Glendale Justice Teen Court
Charlsie Cordova
Coordinator
Maricopa County Juvenile Probation
5222 W. Glendale
Glendale, AZ 85301
Phone: 602-525-8898 Fax: 623-930-6130
Email: chacor@juvenile.maricopa.gov

Our Teen Courts do not accept any violent offenses or drug offenses. These offenses need more intervention than teen court can provide. We also have a drug court that handles our drug offenses. We do not accept felony offenses unless they have been first reviewed by the County Attorney and approved for diversion. We also do not accept domestic violence cases as we have a specialized unit for this offense,

Maricopa County Juvenile Court - Summer Teen Court
Charlsie Cordova
West Valley Teen Court Coordinator
Maricopa County Juvenile Probation
7017 N 56 Avenue
Glendale, AZ 85301
Phone: 602-525-8898 Fax: 623-930-6130
Email: CHACOR@juvenile.maricopa.gov

Our Teen Courts do not accept any violent offenses or drug offenses. These offenses need more intervention than teen court can provide. We also have a drug court that handles our drug offenses. We do not accept felony offenses unless they have been first reviewed by the County Attorney and approved for diversion. We also do not accept domestic violence cases as we have a specialized unit for this offense,

Asheboro/Randolph Teen Court Program
Cheryl Benford
Coordinator
Randolph County Government
1520 North Fayetteville Street
Asheboro, NC 27203
Phone: 336-683-8227 Fax: 336-683-8217
Email: clbenford@co.randolph.nc.us
Website: www.randolphteencourt.org

Here in North Carolina we have to follow the general statutes and according to General Statute 7B-1706, Teen Court Programs cannot accept the following offenses:

Driving while impaired or any other motor vehicle violation
Class A1 misdemeanors
An assault in which a weapon is used
Controlled substance offense under Article 5 Chapter 90 of the NC General Statutes, other than Simple Possession Schedule VI drug or alcohol

Green River Teen Court
Peggy Beckum
Municipal Judge
City of Green River
50 East Second Street North
Green River, WY 82935
Phone: 307-872-6116 Fax: 307-872-0567
Email: pbeckum@cityofgreenriver.org

The only time I do not allow a defendant to be sentenced in Teen Court is when he/she receives another citation while awaiting the Teen Court session. The only other time is if a defendant is charged with three or more offenses and there is an automobile accident involved.

Erie County Juvenile Probation Peer Jury Program
David Gianoni
Supervisor
Erie County Juvenile Probation Department
Erie County Courthouse
140 West 6th Street, Room 401
Erie, PA 16501
Phone: 814-451-6048 Fax: 814-451-7070
Email: dgianoni@eriecountygov.org

We have never formally set the types of cases we would not accept but our intake department is very selective as to the cases the Youth Court handles. Usually they are fairly minor thefts, retail thefts and assaults. Also there is a great deal of consideration given to the family support. I hope this helps and if there is anything else I can help with let me know.

Village of Owego Youth Court
Eric Watkins
Unit Coordinator
Youth Services Unit
Owego Police Department
90 Temple Street
Owego, NY 13827
Phone: 607-687-2233 Fax: 607-687-2235
Email: juvenile@stny.rr.com
Website: http://www.owegopolice.org/YSU.html

For obvious reasons, the Owego Youth Court program does not accept violent felonies or drug related felonies; everything else is fair game.

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Taylor County Teen Court
Toni Matthias
Teen Court Coordinator
224 S. Second Street
Medford, WI 54451
Phone: 715-748-1435
Email: toni.matthias@wicourts.gov

Taylor County Teen Court does not accept serious felonies, serious injury battery or drug cases. Our reason is that we feel these cases would need more services than Teen Court has to offer. We also don't accept cases that have more than $250 restitution owed.

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Philadelphia Teen Court
Steve Innamarato
Law Program Coordinator
100 West Dunncannon Street
Philadelphia, PA 19120
Phone: 215-456-0741
Email: sinnamarato@phila.k12.pa.us

We are a school based court. Our court does not take cases involving fights, assault, sexual acts, robbery, drugs, alcohol, and harassment. All of these offenses are classified as level 2 offenses in the School District of Philadelphia's code of conduct.

Osceola County Teen Court
Angie Martinez
Teen Court Coordinator
Osceola County Court Administration
2 Courthouse Square, Suite. 3100
Kissimmee, FL 34741
Phone: 407-343-2465 Fax: 407-835-5055
Email: ctadam1@ocnjcc.org

We don’t take any gang related cases or any drug cases other than marijuana. We also don’t take any drug dealers in teen court. If they have a lot of mental health issues, we don’t take them either just because we have limited resources.

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Willcox Youth Court
Sally White
Coordinator
Willcox Against Substance Abuse
City Magistrate Court
480 North Bisbee Avenue
Willcox, AZ 85643
Phone: 520-384-4777 Fax: 520-384-1141
Email: wasa@qwest.net
Website: http://www.wasaonline.us

When we started forming Willcox Youth Court, we met with those officials who would be referring cases to us and determined that we could basically hear the cases that would fall under the referring agent's jurisdiction - thus allowing the referring agents to use YC as a diversion or alternative process. We accept cases from the Magistrate and Justice of the Peace Courts - which primarily includes traffic and civil complaints; we are used as a first diversion by Juvenile Probation which allows the Juvenile Probation Officer to divert to YC most first time misdemeanors, and some class one felonies; we also are used by school officials which means that we see violations such as harassment, possession/use of tobacco on campus, ditching, petty theft, etc. that are deemed by the principals as to not warrant arrest but do need to be dealt with. Our YC is run under the jurisdiction of the Magistrate Court; although we have youth in all positions (including judge) an adult judge is always present and would see that no inappropriate cases were submitted. Hope this helps.

Stark County Teen Court
Joyce Salapack
Chief Probation Officer
Stark County Family Court
110 Central Plaza South, Suite 625
Canton, OH 44702
Phone: 330-451-7407 Fax: 330-451-7837
Email: jasalapack@co.stark.oh.us

Generally we do all misdemeanor offenses including truancy and unruly. They can have no more than two prior charges that have been handled informally.

Isabella County Teen Court Program
DeAnn Crowley
Coordinator/Juvenile Probation Officer
Isabella County Trial Court, Family Division
300 N. Main Street
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
Phone: 989-772-0911 Ext. 333 Fax: 989-775-2068
Email: Dcrowley@isabellacounty.org

In Isabella County, Michigan -

Reviewed case by case:

Felonies - we accept some, depending on circumstances and overall character of youth
We look at motive, actual behavior during the crime, response of minor and parents, and input from victims if appropriate, to determine eligibility.

Multiple offenses on the same petition - again, situation dependent
Often the multiple offense includes status offense (stealing cigarettes) resulting in additional charges, but really the same event.

If there were separate events, same victim, probably not - due to ongoing nature of behavior.

Not Accepted:
Domestic Violence - against parents
Parents are required to be present for our hearings with teen court. We do not want them in the role of advocate and victim in the hearings.

CSC - Too much controversy over victim issues, potential for recidivism without adequate services, registration is complicated, concerns from parents of teen jurors being exposed to information, maintaining courtroom decorum, other numerous reasons.

Arson - Often points to lots of other concerns, too involved for youth court to adequately resolve, significant risk of future harm if not adequately addressed.

Hope this helps. Feel free to contact with questions.

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Sarpy County Teen Court
Kris Peissig-Chester
Teen Court Coordinator
1257 Golden Gate Drive, Suite 11 W
Papillion, NE 68046
Phone: 402-593-2207
Email: teencourt@sarpy.com
Website: http://www.sarpy.com/teencourt/

We do not accept violent crimes (3rd Deg Assault or higher) – the safety of our volunteers are very important. We also do not take gang members. If I believe they might be in a gang, even if they are not on any gang list, I will not have them participate in Teen Court.

Basically, I will not let any defendant participate if I feel they night be a risk to the volunteers. Volunteer safety is extremely important.

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Peer Court, Inc.
Paul Sermersheim
Director
101 West North Street
Danville, IL 61832
Phone: 217-443-9044 Fax: 217-443-9044
Email: peercourt01@aol.com

I am Paul Sermersheim and I have been the director of Peer Court (Vermilion County, Illinois) since Jan. 2005. In the past 11 months the only referral that we have chosen not to accept was a case in which a 16 year-old male threatened to rape a 12 year -old girl. Peer Court staff decided not to take this case because this should be handled by investigators who should prove that the threat really occurred. We felt that Sex offenses should be handled by the circuit court! The charge we would have come up with would have been disorderly conduct which discounts this serious charge. This youth being charged will need some serious help and we anticipate he will get it through them?

Charges/cases referred to us come from City Danville Illinois municipal court or state attorney office. The more serious charges that we DO TAKE are: battery with a tire tool or baseball bat, possession of Cannabis, obstructing a peace officer. I suppose when someone is seriously hurt in battery that the case is not referred to our program.

Duncanville Teen Court
Olivia Harrington
Teen Court Coordinator
City of Duncanville
P.O. Box 380280
Duncanville, TX 75138-0280
Phone: 972-780-5063 Fax: 972-780-6463
Email: oharrington@ci.duncanville.tx.us
Website: www.Duncanville.com/teen_court.shtm

We have always accepted any Class C Misdemeanor offenses from our Municipal Court. Last year our Judge decided that the schools were getting too bad and quit sending those cases to Teen Court. I would still accept.

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Pottstown Area PAL Youth Court
Laura McOdrum
Youth Court Administrator
Pottstown Area Police Athletic League
2093 East High Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
Phone: 610-326-9274 Fax: 610-326-8136
Email: palyouthcourt@hotmail.com
Website: www.pottstownpal.com

We take all summary citations (up to 3 per respondent). We have even had a handful of traffic citations too. These were allowed because we felt the lesson learned by the youth in attendance would be worthwhile.

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Clallam County Teen Court
Danetta Rutten
Probation Officer/Teen Court Coordinator
Clallam County Juvenile & Family Services
1912 W. 18th Street
Port Angeles, WA 98363
Phone: 360-565-2630 Ext. 230 Fax: 360-457-4875
Email: drutten@co.clallam.wa.us

Our Teen Court accepts only misdemeanors.................we are a Diversion Court. All youth...no adults..................

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Community Court Program
Chris Davis
Community Specialist
Mercer County Juvenile Probation Department
120 Strawberry Street
Mercer, PA 16137
Phone: 724-662-3800 Ext. 2205 Fax: 724-662-4105
Email: cdavis@mcc.co.mercer.pa.us
Website: www.mcc.co.mercer.pa.us/com_courts/default.htm

My program does not accept any felony cases, DUI's, cases involving serious bodily injury (ie. aggravated assault), sex offenders, arsonists, drug dealing/delivery, or bomb threats. We further do not typically accept cases where there is more than a few hundred dollars in restitution. I hope you find this helpful.

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Central South Dakota Teen Court
Noreen Plumage
Teen Court Coordinator
P.O. Box 271
Ft. Pierre, SD 57532
Phone: 605-223-7689
Email: csdteencrt@midconetwork.com

We receive cases directly from the States Attorney. The states attorneys refer under the state legal guidelines of a diversion program. After a Risk/Needs assessment and alcohol and drug screen is completed on the referrals we receive, we decide if the case is appropriate based on the services our Teen Court can provide. (we have direct access to mental health and alcohol and drug services) Probably the only case we would send back is one where we determine (based on the intake procedures) that the individual might be a safety issue to the community. State-wide (SD) I believe we are the only Teen Court who accepts Zero Tolerance DUIs.

Amherst Youth Court
Michael Torrillo
Coordinator
Amherst Police Department
500 John James Audobon Parkway
Amherst, NY 14228
Phone: 716-689-1344 Fax: 716-568-1182
Email: mtorrillo@adelphia.net

We do NOT accept any cases that involve restitution. For example, if it is a Criminal Mischief case and there is damage to property, that has to be resolved before we would hear the case in Youth Court. We are not in the collection business and should not be in a position to recover losses for the victim.

Lompoc/Santa Ynez Teen Court
Eduardo Cue
Coordinator
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
232 E. Canon Perdido Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Phone: 805-963-1433 Fax: 805-963-4099
Email: ecue@cadasb.org
Website: www.cadasb.org

I will approach this question by responding to the type of offenses the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Teen Court Program in Santa Barbara County does accept. First, I would like to explain that our Teen Court program is really three Teen Court programs operating out of seven court rooms in four separate courthouses in four separate communities. We hold hearings to an average of 400 to 450 clients per year. The attached document will provide you the offense and sentence structure for the type of offenses we do receive in Teen Court. We do not accept cases for curfew, tobacco violations, skateboard infractions, and bicycle helmet violations. Our Teen Court is a one time opportunity for youth, and the judges presiding on the Teen Court bench feel strongly that this opportunity should be reserved for more serious misdemeanor violations or infractions. We have started a Teen Court DUI Peer Review Court. This program addresses minors are cited for driving under the influence, less than the adult legal limit, or any minor in the vehicle that is in possession or under the influence regardless if they are driving or not. Please feel free to contact our Teen Court if you have any further questions.

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Lawrence County Teen Court
Marlene Todd
Director
P.O. Box 227
68 Sherman Street, Suite 213
Deadwood, SD 57732
Phone: 605-722-8889 Fax: 605-722-8888
Email: teencrt@mato.com
Website: www.southdakotateencourt.org

We do NOT accept felony charges or traffic offenses in our teen court. The rationale is that felony offenses are generally of the severity that needs longer term intervention versus our 90 days and the charges are of a serious enough nature that our States Attorney feels that the formal court system should be responsible for those cases. We do NOT take traffic offenses as our court is a part-time program and the funding would become an issue with the influx of cases as a result of traffic offenses.

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Monongalia County Teen Court
CW Mullins
Teen Court Coordinator
265 Spruce Street, Room 116
Morgantown, WV 26505
Phone: 304-292-1236
Email: Monteencourt@hotmail.com

One of the big things that my teen court will not accept is Truancy cases. We do not take these because of the time consuming nature of the follow up for these cases. We have tried to do truancy cases, but the amount of time it takes to check grades and attendance for numerous cases on a daily basis is too tough for one person to handle. Another type of case we are asked to take often, but do not take are cases that involve large amounts of drugs. We only deal with minor drug offense.

Caswell Teen Court
Anne Watlington
Coordinator
Caswell County Parish, Inc.
P.O. Box 967
1038 Main Street
Yanceyville, NC 27379
Phone: 336-694-6428 Fax: 336-694-9276
Email: annewatlington@excite.com

We have not turned down any cases at this time. We do possession of marijuana or paraphernalia, but we like for it to go to the Juvenile Court Counselor first so they can order drug assessments and make sure it is done. We will take weapons on school property except guns. We currently have a misdemeanor cruelty to animals, which is a first for us. I am looking forward to getting this guidebook. It will help us a lot.

Greenwood Youth Court
Perry Bradley
Youth Court Coordinator
C.I.S. of Greenwood
P.O. Box 517
Greenwood, SC 29648
Phone: 864-227-0400 Fax: 864-223-0587
Email: pbradley-cisgwd@earthlink.net

Currently Greenwood County Youth Court only rejects 2nd or 3rd time offenders and violent crimes. This is because it was stated that way in the manuals.

Antioch Teen Court
Elizabeth McGonigal
Director, Early Intervention Service
NICASA
31979 North Fish Lake Road
Round Lake, IL 60073
Phone: 847-546-6450 Fax: 847-546-6760
Email: emcgonigal@nicasa.org

At our Teen Courts, we do not take felony offenses. The rationale is that youth get referred to our program as part of a station adjustment process, which the police departments who refer to us do not use in felony cases. We do not take sexual offenses, due to privacy issues. Lastly, we do not take offenders who are known gang-members, as we want to protect our jurors from possible retaliation. Retaliation by an offender is always possible (although it has not happened in our courts to date) but when you multiply the chances by the number of members in the offender's gang, the risks are too great.

West Eugene Teen Court
Bruce Steinmetz
Supervisor
City of Eugene
Petersen Barn Community Center
870 Berntzen Road
Eugene, OR 97402
Phone: 541-682-6376 Fax: 541-682-8192
Email: bruce.h.steinmetz@ci.eugene.or.us

Things we don't accept:

Felonies
Assaults
Charges involving weapons
Fire-setting charges

(An exception is made on rare occasions with the approval of DYS.)

These referral standards were determined by our Department of Youth Services, though I have no problem with them.

Successful participants may apply for record expunction. It is understandable that DYS wishes to keep track of youths who commit violent or weapons-related offenses as a matter of public safety.

I used to work in a peer court program that took assaults, many of which involved school fights. In that program, with the offender as the only witness, the offender was usually able to portray the victim as "asking for it," undermining accountability. This could be counteracted by putting the victim on the stand as well but that opens the door to a whole new level of "he said/he said" conflict, cross-examination issues and potential re-victimization that I'm not sure most programs can handle. Anyway, I don't miss the assault cases.

Bladen County Teen Court
Johnice Autry
Teen Court Coordinator
Cooperative Extension Center
PO Box 249
Elizabethown, NC 28337
Phone: 910-862-4591 Fax: 910-862-6939
Email: Johnice_Autry@ncsu.edu:

My program does not accept any sex crimes cases

Kauai Teen Court
Annaleah Atkinson
Teen Court Manager
2959 Umi Street
Lihue, HI 96766
Phone: 808-245-2873 Fax: 808-245-6957
Email: aatkinson@haleopio.org
Website: www.haleopio.org

This is from Hale 'Opio Kaua'i Teen Court on Kaua'i, HI. We do not accept felony charges, only misdemeanor and status offenses. We do not accept DUI's or cases where monetary restitution is over $3,000.

Allegany County Youth Court
Sienna Markel
Youth Court Coordinator
Youth Bureau
2 Jag Drive
Belmont, NY 14895
Phone: 585-268-7900 Ext. 2142 Fax: 585-268-7992
Email: smarkel@gvcs.wnyric.org
Website: www.acyc.us

The Allegany County Youth Court accepts every 1st offense except for sex crimes and serious violent felonies because we don't feel as if we have the proper resources to deal with these more heavy issues. Community Service, apology letters, and curfews really wouldn't be fitting to these crimes.

College Station Teen Court
Peggy Calliham
Coordinator
City of College Station
PO Box 9960
College Station, TX 77840
Phone: 979-764-3499 Fax: 979-764-3894
Email: pcalliham@cstx.gov
Website: www.cstx.gov/home/index.asp?page=1445

Our court ONLY accepts class C misdemeanors. We do not accept Failure to Attend School/Truancy because parents are so much a part of this issue and need to be dealt with by the Judge rather than teens.

We generally do not accept t FAILURE TO APPEAR cases, although there have been a couple in conjunction with another citation the judge has sent. It is rare.

Bertie County Teen Court
Ernestine Byrd
Teen Court Director
Bertie County Schools
P.O. Box 10
Windsor, NC 27983
Phone: 252-794-6035
Email: ernestinebyrd@yahoo.com:

We do not hear drug cases or alcohol cases, the Judge felt it was too severe for the students to handle.

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