An Update on Teen Court Legislation (USA)

Youth courts, teen courts, student courts and peer courts (hereafter collectively referred to as “teen courts”) have rapidly spread across the nation in the past 10 years. From rather humble beginnings, current data indicates that 1,128 teen court programs are present in 49 states and the District of Columbia.1 They provide an opportunity for youth to appear before their peers for resolution of delinquent, status, or other problem behavior.