NCJ Number
189757
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 52 Issue: 2 Dated: Spring 2001 Pages: 1-11
Date Published
2001
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper reports on the methodology and findings of an evaluation of a Teen Court program, in which juveniles are tried and sentenced by a jury of their peers.
Abstract
The evaluation used a control group design with a pretest and posttest. A questionnaire was used to obtain juvenile offenders' attitudes and knowledge before and after participating in the Teen Court program. Changes in scores were related to the likelihood of these juveniles reoffending. Test results for the Teen Court participants were compared to test results for a comparison group of non-offending juveniles. A total of 111 juvenile offenders in the Teen Court of Sarasota County, Inc., participated in the study as the treatment group. This Teen Court model uses an adult judge, peer jury, and youth attorney. Thirty-six juveniles from a local middle school who volunteered to participate composed the comparison group. The treatment group participated in the Teen Court between June 1997 and March 1998. Of the 111 juveniles who were administered the pretest and posttest questionnaires, only 14 reoffended within 5 months of their initial involvement in the Teen Court program, resulting in a recidivism rate of 12.6 percent. Overall, the results of the study indicated that juvenile offenders did benefit from their participation in the Teen Court program. They gained knowledge about the legal system, and their attitudes toward some authority figures became more favorable as a result of their involvement in the program. In addition, juvenile offenders had a positive attitude toward the Teen Court program itself. These findings contribute to the growing literature that indicates Teen Courts can be an effective juvenile crime diversion program. 3 tables and 31 references