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Youth Court Legislation
The issue of whether enabling legislation is
needed for the operation of youth court programs is an ongoing debate.
However, the number of states attempting to pass some type of enabling
legislation related to youth courts has increased over the past few years.
Of the 45 states that have youth court programs, 25 states had enacted
legislation that specifically addresses youth/teen court in some manner as
of November 2001. You will find that some state legislation is fairly
detailed and comprehensive in its guidelines for youth/teen courts; whereas,
other state legislation related to youth/teen courts tends to be very broad
and general.
The following states have statutes related to youth courts:
| Alaska |
Kentucky |
Tennessee |
| Arkansas |
Minnesota |
Texas |
| California |
Mississippi |
Utah |
| Colorado |
Montana |
Vermont |
| Florida |
New Mexico |
Washington |
| Georgia |
New York |
West Virginia |
| Idaho |
North Carolina |
Wisconsin |
| Illinois |
Oklahoma |
Wyoming |
| Iowa |
Oregon |
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| Kansas |
Rhode Island |
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Youth court programs that
operate in states without specific enabling legislation
often rely on juvenile court diversion statutes that have
been on the books for many years for their basic
jurisdictional authority. Typically, these diversion
statutes allow a law enforcement agency, a probation
department, or a juvenile court to suspend or dismiss formal
delinquency proceedings pending successful completion of a
diversion program. Youth/teen courts are generally accepted
as referral programs under these basic juvenile diversion
laws.
Publications related to Youth Court
Legislation
An Update on Teen Court
Legislation. This bulletin, written by Michelle Heward, provides an
overview of teen court legislation in the U.S. It was published in September
2006.
The Organization and
Operation of Teen Courts in the United States: A Comparative Analysis of
Legislation. This article was written by Michelle Heward and was
published in the Winter 2002 Vol. 53, No. 1 issue of the Juvenile and Family
Court Journal, and is made available on this website with permission from
the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the editors of
the Juvenile and Family Court Journal.
Youth Court Enabling Legislation—One
Perspective on Utah's Experience. This article written by Michelle
Heward, Chairperson of the Utah Youth Court Board discusses her experience
in working with a community to draft and pass enabling legislation for youth
courts in Utah.
Teen Court
Legislation in the United States was written by Michelle Heward and
appeared in the Spring 2002 issue of In
Session.
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