Teen defendants between the ages 14 - 18, who are currently enrolled in a secondary school, may request Teen Court as an alternative to paying the court fine and as a way to keep the violation off his/her record.

The teen defendant must come before the judge and enter a plea of No Contest or Guilty. The teen defendant will then pay a $20 administrative court fee instead of paying the fine and will be set for a Teen Court Hearing. The Teen Court Coordinator determines the type of Teen Court Hearing for each case.

Types of Teen Court Hearings

Trial

Teen defendants will have a trial which is presided over by an adult judge. The teen defendant will be tried by a teen prosecutor and defended by a teen defense attorney. The defendant's sentence will be determined by a teen jury. Those serving on the jury are either teen volunteers or teen defendants who are serving a jury term to satisfy a portion of their sentence.

Master Jury

Teen defendants will have hearings presided over by an adult judge. The teen defendant will give testimony of their offense and will directly interact with the teen jury. The teen jury will ask detailed questions to the defendant about his/her offense. The defendant's sentence will be determined by the teen jury; the jury members are teen volunteers and teen defendants serving a jury term to satisfy a portion of their sentence.

Sentence

The juvenile defendant will be sentenced to complete community service hours, two or more teen court jury terms, and/or a creative alternative sentence to "pay" the fine. The number of community service hours and jury terms, as well as the type of alternative sentencing, will be based on the type of offense committed according to the Discipline Grid. If the juvenile defendant satisfactorily completes his or her sentence by the completion date, the violation will be dismissed and will not be on the defendant's record.