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Teen Court
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.
Click here for a volunteer application.
Schedule of the upcoming
Teen Court sessions:
- February 8th and 22nd
- March 8th and 22nd
- April 12th and 26th
- May 10th and 24th
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 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
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