How Teen Court Works

  • A teen appears in Teen Court for his/her trial. The teen is questioned by defense and prosecuting attorneys, which are volunteers, and then sentenced by a jury of their peers, which are teens that have been sentenced to serve on the Teen Court Jury.
  • The jury assesses punishment based on a grid system, called the Discipline Grid.
  • The youth will be sentenced to perform community service and jury duty.
  • The youth is provided a list of agencies to contact to complete community service work.
  • The youth is assigned to jury duty the week following their trial.
  • Once all requirements have been met, Teen Court will submit the citation to the referring court for dismissal.
  • If the youth fails to complete, the citation is referred back to the referring court for further action.
  • If this occurs, the citation will be entered into the youth's record as a conviction, the original fine will be assessed, and in some cases, the youth's driver's license will be suspended or denied.