Teen courts, also known as youth
courts or peer courts, are not new phenomena. Since the 1970s, over 800
teen courts have popped up around the nation; the majority were created in
response to the United States Justice
Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP)
push for alternative juvenile programs in the 1990s. While the court
itself varies between four models, discussed below, jurisdictions across the
country use teen courts to address the same types of offenders and crimes: first-time offenders, aged 11-17,
who have been accused of misdemeanors such as theft, vandalism, underage drinking, disorderly conduct,
assault, possession of marijuana, tobacco violations, and curfew violations.
Because the teen court is offered as an alternative to going through the
juvenile justice system, the accused typically have to admit guilt prior to
admittance to the program.
