The St. Mary's County Teen Court is designed to reduce the
number of youthful offenders and educate youth in an actual
court environment. Teen Court is a juvenile justice diversion
program offering the first-time misdemeanor offenders, ages
11-17, and first-time traffic offenders under the age of 18, the
opportunity to accept accountability for their minor crimes
without having to incur a permanent criminal record or traffic
court fines and points. Teen Court is a voluntary program that
allows juvenile respondents to be judged by a jury of their
peers.
St. Mary's County is committed to promoting
public safety and enhancing the quality of life for all the
citizens of St. Mary's County. This requires us to be innovative
in creating programs that can assist our youth. Since the Teen
Court Program began operations in January 2003, hundreds of our
local youth have been given a second chance. More importantly,
this program has been highly successful in giving our youth the
opportunity to change their behavior and accept responsibility
for their actions. In July 2013, as the result of the joint
initiative between the Teen Court Program, the St. Mary’s County
State’s Attorney’s Office, and the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s
Office, the Program was expanded to include selected under 18
year old traffic violations referred from District Court by the
State’s Attorney’s Office.
The Teen Court Program also provides
our county teens who are interested in our judicial system an
opportunity to help their fellow teens and gain first-hand
knowledge of the court system. Several of our teen attorneys
have proceeded to utilize the experience gained through this
program in their future goals and careers Please contact the
Teen Court Coordinator with any questions or to join our
dedicated staff of volunteers who make this program work for the
benefit of all the citizens of St. Mary's County.
Announcements
• Report by the University
of Maryland School of Social Work (SSW) and the Maryland
Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) on the effectiveness
of Teen Courts in Maryland.
Get it here.
• Youth
volunteers are always welcome to become a part of this important
program that helps fellow teens learn to make better decisions.
Click here to get your
youth volunteer application.
• Special thanks
go to the St. Mary's County Department of Information
Technology for making this web site a reality.
• The
current St. Mary's County
Teen Court Calendar is available here.
The St.
Mary's County Teen Court Adult & Youth Volunteer Applications
are now available.
•
For the Youth Volunteer Application (PDF)
•
For the Adult Volunteer Application (PDF)
The Adult &
Inclement Weather Policy
If after school
activities of the St. Mary's County Public Schools are cancelled
due to inclement weather or other dangerous situations on a
scheduled Teen Court day, there will be NO Court Session that
night.
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