How do I get referred to youth court?

All Youth Courts accept first time, nonviolent offenders into the program. Referral processes vary in the communities. A typical referral process may look like:

Youth are referred by school, juvenile probation or law enforcement.

• The respondent and a parent or guardian meet with a Youth Court representative to acquire program details and join the program.

• Youth Court volunteers interact with new participants.

• The respondent attends Youth Court on the scheduled day and time for hearing of the case.

• After the Youth Court jury reaches a decision, the youth respondent is given a determination of the consequences decided by the jury.

• The respondent is required to complete the restorative plan OR dispositions assigned by their peers, which includes serving as a juror for other peer respondents.

• When the respondent completes all consequences as directed, the case is closed and will not become a criminal record. If the respondent does not perform satisfactorily, the case is subject to referral for formal juvenile justice proceedings.