Teen Court
Teen Court is a program designed to reduce recidivism for first-time juvenile offenders by giving them a second chance to repair the harm they’ve caused without experiencing formal court prosecution.
Teen Court also helps teens (11-17) to be accountable by providing constructive consequences for their actions while providing leadership opportunities and resolution training for young volunteers as participants in the peer-sentencing court.
When teens successfully complete Teen Court, the original charges are dismissed by the court and their record stays "clean".
Reach For Youth offers Teen Court programming for youth referred by the Marion and Johnson County Juvenile Courts. When the referring county has provided the court/law enforcement documents regarding the offense, an intake assessment will be scheduled with a Teen Court staff member.
Both the child and at least one parent/guardian must attend the intake assessment appointment. At the end of the intake assessment, the family will schedule a time to come back for their Teen Court Hearing. Teen Court is held in the evenings at several Central Indiana locations.
Teen Court is facilitated mainly by volunteers. The volunteer jurors and attorneys are teens who have received comprehensive training about court proceedings and juvenile law. The presiding judge is an adult volunteer, most typically a practicing attorney, retired judge, or someone with professional expertise on the legal system and have been trained by Reach For Youth staff on Teen Court proceedings.
On the night of their scheduled hearing, the teen must be on time with at least one parent/guardian. They meet with their assigned teen attorney to discuss the case prior to the proceedings. On many occasions, an adult volunteer law student will also help the teen and teen attorney prepare the case.
During the Teen Court hearing, the youth, and sometimes their parent/guardian will be questioned by the prosecuting and defense attorneys. The judge and the jurors are allowed to ask questions for a better understanding of the case. The jurors deliberate privately for a short time, deciding what consequences are appropriate for the teen. The jury’s decision is read in court and the teen, their Parent/Guardian and a Teen Court staff member review the prescribed consequences, answer any questions and clarify the date by which all consequences need to be completed.
Over the course of the consequences, the teen and family will be required to provide various forms of documentation. They may be required to come back to Reach For Youth for a final outtake meeting and review of those documents.
Teen Court is held at the following locations:
- Reach For Youth North Indianapolis Office, 3505 N. Washington Boulevard
- Reach For Youth South Indianapolis Office, 5401 S. Shelby Street
- Lawrence City Court, 4455 McCoy Street, Indianapolis
- Southport High School, 971 Banta Road, Indianapolis
- Indianapolis Urban League, 777 Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis
- Pike High School 5401 W. 71st Street, Indianapolis