Three years of Teen Court offender outcomes.

Abstract

Since 1983, Teen Courts have offered ajudicial alternative for many adolescent offenders. In the first year of the Whatcom County Teen Court Program, a small sample of Teen Court offenders had more favorable outcomes than did Court Diversion offenders. In the current study, the results are based on a three-year sample of 84 Whatcom County adjudicated youths, each with at least one prior conviction. Overall, recidivism was lower for the Teen Court offenders than for first-time Court Diversion offenders. Sentence completion rates were comparable for the two groups. In addition to behavioral outcomes, responses on a satisfaction survey and a self-acceptance inventory provide a more complete view of the offenders' perspectives. One unanticipated outcome was the number of offenders who chose to continue involvement with Teen Court sessions, independent of sentencing requirements.