Changing Lives

For the youth who volunteer, Youth Courts inform and educate young people about the role of law in our democracy and about their role as active citizens. Volunteers learn about court procedures, sentencing options, trial techniques, structure of the justice system, the meaning of justice and relationships between rights and responsibilities.

Young people who are equipped with knowledge of the law and how it works within the judicial system are inclined to have a better understanding of their connection to the American system of justice. The youth feel that they are participants not potential victims.

Young people who come before the court after being charged with an offense, learn that injuries they cause may be repaired and that there are better ways to get thier needs met than violence or theft or acting out.

Our Mission

To spur the comprehensive and statewide development of youth court programs by:

• Expanding and supporting youth courts as effective, evidence-based, peer-driven juvenile justice alternative - and -
• Promoting youth court programs as an important feature of juvenile justice services in Tennessee that seek to improve outcomes for all youth in our communities.