Research Symposium

BIO

Originally from Tampa, FL, I am a Junior Cyber-Criminology student at Florida State University. I am strongly interested in government, juvenile justice, public policy, politics and lobbying. I am currently studying for my LSAT exams with hopes of attending law school in Fall 2025.

North Carolina Teen Court and Recidivism: The Team Process

Abstract

Teen Court programs are diversion programs that serve as an alternative to processing juveniles through the traditional justice system. They are implemented around the country in hopes of reducing recidivism rates for juveniles. Juveniles can be referred to the Teen Court program through a juvenile court counselor, school administrators, law enforcement, or other members of the local community. This research examines whether the teen court in North Carolina reduces juvenile recidivism and provides descriptive information about the teen court policies and procedures across counties.

- In North Carolina, 68 counties have Teen Court programs while 32 counties do not.
- This project is enabled by the North Carolina Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the North Carolina Office of Strategic Partnerships.
- This project examines the Teen Court process through three different methods: surveys, site visits, and statistical analysis.

This research was enabled through teamwork and collaboration across the research team and a team of state workers in the North Carolina justice system and each member of the team worked together to achieve a better understanding of the research question.

Keywords: Teen Court, Juvenile Justice, North Carolina