TEEN COURT

Peggy Ovelgonne-Betts
Teen Court Coordinator
399 S. Front St.
Columbus, OH 43215
614-462-3130
E-mail: Mary_Betts@fccourts.org

For the past 8 years, Teen Court has been used as a diversion program for first time unruly and misdemeanor offenders. It continues to be a viable diversion program for first–time non-violent offenders with recidivism rates as low as 4%.

Franklin County statistics show that adolescents who are eventually sentenced to the State’s juvenile corrections system for a felony conviction have had prior contact with the Juvenile Court on the average of eleven times, with at least one of those offenses being a misdemeanor charge.

Helping teens accept responsibility for their actions and holding them accountable for their offense is the first step in changing illegal behavior. Teen Court provides education and early intervention for the first-time offender with the intervention giving teens the knowledge to make better choices and decisions, avoiding further Court contact.

Teen Court utilizes peer pressure in a unique manner. Teens, having admitted their involvement to various charges, receive their sentencing from other teens. Teen defendants in turn, serve as jurors, attorneys or bailiffs in the cases of other teens. This provides teens with the opportunity to impact other peers in a productive and positive way by imposing appropriate and fair dispositions (sentences).

The Teen Court philosophy is simple. Teen Court is a community-based, Court-operated intervention program designed to provide an alternative response from the juvenile justice system for the first-time offender.

Defendants later become participants in the Teen Court process dispensing appropriate dispositions for other youthful offenders.

Teen Court holds juvenile offenders accountable and provides educational enlightenment for the youth into the juvenile justice system. It is with this information and knowledge that the youthful offender becomes better equipped to make better life choices, change negative behaviors and leads to the enhancement of public safety.

Youth referred by a Juvenile Court Magistrate or by the Family Assessment Department:

with a charge filed against them.
who is a first-time offender.
who is between the ages of 11 and 17 at the time of the offense.
who admits involvement with the offense.
who has parental or guardian consent.
who can commit to participate in a 5-week program serving as a Juror, Attorney or Bailiff (one night a week for 2 l/2 hours) as a condition of the sentencing process.

Teen Court is held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in the Juvenile Court hearing rooms at 399 S. Front Street, Columbus, Ohio, between the hours of 6 - 8 p.m.

Teen Court is made up of youth who would have been defendants in the traditional Juvenile Justice System.
The actual hearings are conducted by teenagers with an adult coordinator overseeing the process, as well as adults who preside over the hearings.

an apology to a victim or parents.
restitution and community service.
an essay on a topic determined by the jury.
a research paper regarding the law that was broken.

Additionally, youth can be placed in the Saturday Family Workshop, the SEARCH Program, the DETOUR Program or Habilitation Services for anger management issues. In addition to the jury sentence, the defendant is required to serve on the jury or in some other capacity in Teen Court for a 5-week period. Teen Court continues to explore new and appropriate dispositional alternatives.