VolunteersForYouth

Orange County Teen Court accepts referrals of first-time offenders ages 11-17 who have admitted guilt to misdemeanor offenses such as assault, affray, underage possession/consumption of drugs, alcohol and or drug paraphernalia, vandalism, disorderly conduct, larceny, and shoplifting. Teen Court will not accept cases involving sexual offenses, firearms, hate crimes, motor vehicle violations, and offenses that have resulted in serious injury. Cases are referred to Teen Court by law enforcement, school resource officers, judges and court counselors. Defendants who refuse to participate in Teen Court are directed back to the referring agency and may be subject to prosecution in traditional juvenile court.

The program is voluntary and confidential. Trained student volunteers take on the roles of attorneys, clerks, bailiffs, and jurors. An adult judge presides over court proceedings. As in traditional court, student attorneys present the facts of the case to the court, and the peer jury is responsible for rendering a constructive sentence that is fair to the defendant and the community.

Schedule of the upcoming Teen Court sessions:

August 22nd
September 12th and September 26th
October 10th and October 24th
November 7th and November 21st
December 5th and December 12th

Jurors should arrive between 6:45-7:00; teen attorneys and defendants should arrive by 6:30 PM. Teen Court starts promptly at 7:15 PM.

Sessions are held in Hillsborough at the Historic Orange County courthouse, 106 E. Margaret Lane, upstairs in the Superior Courtroom.

For more information, please contact the program coordinator:
Amy Fischer: awf@volunteersforyouth.org