Teen Court: A National Movement
Resources
Many teen courts are generous in sharing copies of their bylaws, training manuals,
forms, and other helpful information with those who contact them. A list of teen courts is
available through the National Youth
Court Center, American Probation and Parole Association, P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY
40578-1910, Attention: Tracy Godwin; Fax: (606) 244-8001; E-mail: tgodwin@csg.org.
Below is a selection of resources for teen courts.
BOOK
Peer Justice and Youth Empowerment: An Implementation Guide for Teen Court Programs (#NCJ162782)
by Tracy M. Godwin, American Probation and Parole Association (1996). A free 200+ page
comprehensive guide to what teen courts are and how to create them. Includes chapters on
how to organize the community; legal issues to address; developing the program purpose,
goals, and objectives; determining a target population and designing a referral process;
designing program services; developing a program model and procedures and implementing
effective case management practices; recruiting, using, and training volunteers; examining
human and financial resource issues; and program evaluation. Available through the OJJDP's
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at (800) 638-8736 or on their Web site at: www.ncjrs.org/peer home.html
TRAINING MANUALS
Anchorage Youth Court Law Class. A 142-page manual used to train Tribunal Model
court participants in a seven-week course. Topics addressed are the court system; roles of
the adult, juvenile, and youth courts; responsibilities of various youth court officers;
researching the law; interviewing and preparing witnesses; juvenile rights; ethics; case
preparation; sentencing options; mock hearing; a glossary; and much more. There is also a
75-page advanced training packet focusing on the levels of criminal courts, the criminal
process, the roles of the officers of Youth Court, defining and locating statutes, and
investigating and preparing a case. Each manual is available, in limited quantities, from
Anchorage Youth Court, P.O. Box 102735, Anchorage, AK 99510, (907) 274-5986
Northeast Law/Public Service and Military Magnet High School: School Court Project
by Karen Birgam (1992). This 92-page manual provides the rationale and factual content of
the two-semester course. Topics include the school court rules; courtroom procedure;
outlines for the opening statement, direct examination, cross-examination, and closing
argument; sample scripts, evaluation forms, and role-play critique sheets for participants
in the court hearings; school court forms; and a court organization review outline.
Available in limited quantities from Millie Aulbur, The Missouri Bar, P.O. Box 119,
Jefferson City, MO 65101-3158, (573) 635-4128, E-mail: millea@mobar.org.
Youth Court Training Manual by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Spina Jr. and
Federal Judge David R. Homer, New York (1996). A 65-page (plus appendices) manual used in
the ten-week training program for participants in The Colonie Youth Court (Youth Judge
Model). Includes the organization, jurisdiction, and operation of Youth Court; types of
offenses and sentencing issues; roles of the participants in the sentencing hearing; rules
of evidence; and consequences of offenses. Appendices include state penal law and vehicle
and traffic law, forms, and an overview of the criminal justice system. Available (free)
in limited quantities from Violet Colydas, Director, The Colonie Youth Courts, Public
Safety Building, 312 Wolf Rd., Latham, NY 12110, (518) 782-2638.
VIDEOTAPES
How Teen Court Gave Me Another Chance. (1998) 26 minutes. Describes the Knox County
Teen Court (Adult Judge Model) and documents how two high school students created their
award-winning teen court Web site (see below). To order, contact Knox County Teen Court,
55 W. Tompkins St., Galesburg, IL 61201-4400. Cost: $25.00.
Odessa Teen Court. (1993) 11 minutes. Describes the Adult Judge Model teen
court. To order, contact Tammy Hawkins, Odessa Teen Court, Municipal Court, 201 N. Grant
Ave., Odessa, TX 79761, (915) 335-3352. Cost: $25.00.
World in Action: Boys and Girls of the Jury. (1996) 25 minutes. A British
television program that examines an Adult Judge Model teen court in Sarasota, Florida, and
considers whether teen courts would be effective in Great Britain. To order, contact
Kathleen Self, Sarasota County Teen Court, P.O. Box 48927, Sarasota, FL 34230-5927, (941)
951-4278. Cost: $12.00.
Youth Court: A National Movement. (1998) 2 hours. Hosted by OJJDP Administrator
Shay Bilchik, this tape of a satellite teleconference examines models of teen courts from
three parts of the nation—The Colonie, New York; Odessa, Texas; and Oakland,
California. To order, call OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at (800) 638-8736. Cost:
$17.00 (product #NCJ171149)
WEB SITES
Knox County Teen Court (Galesburg,
Illinois)
An award-winning, student-created site with a policy and procedure manual, judge's manual,
statistics, history of the program, real audio interviews with students, basic waiver
forms, volunteers, mock trials, and much more.
National Youth Court Center
The main source of current information about youth courts, including a national directory
and training opportunities.
Peer Justice and Youth
Empowerment: An Implementation Guide for Teen Court Programs
The full text (minus appendices) of the book described above.
Additional Information
American Bar Association Division for Public Education,
541 N. Fairbanks Ct., Chicago, IL 60611-3314, Attention: School Programs/Youth Court
Information; Fax: (312) 988-5494; E-mail: abapubed@abanet.org.
For information about the youth court youth volunteer training package that is in
development.
National Youth Court Center,
American Probation and Parole Association, P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578-1910,
Attention: Tracy Godwin; Fax: (606) 244-8001; E-mail: tgodwin@csg.org.
For information about all aspects of youth courts, including the National Youth Court
Conference, the National Youth Court Guidelines, and youth court training and technical
assistance.
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 810 Seventh Street, NW, Room 8138,
Washington, DC 20531, Attention: Scott Peterson; Tel. (202) 616-2368; Fax: (202) 353-9095;
E-mail: peterson@ojp.usdoj.gov . For
information about funding, training, and technical assistance.
This publication was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office
of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention.
>>What are teen courts?
>>The Growth of Teen Courts
>>The Major Models
>>Steps for Implementing a Teen Court
>>Teen Courts and Law-Related Education
>>Delinquency Prevention; The Educational Role
>>Training
>>Profile: Salt Lake City's Peer Court
>>Student Courts
>>How Do Lawyers, Judges, and the Bar Support Teen
Courts?
>>Profile: A Lawyer's Inside View of Teen Court
>>Profile: The Wyoming Bar and Teen Court
>>Evaluation
>>Funding
>>Conclusion and References
>>Resources and Additional Information
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