Research Symposium

BIO

Sophia Antoni is a second-year pre-law student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, with minors in Communications and General Business. Her on- and off-campus involvements include FSU PIRG’s Visibility Coordinator and Textbook Affordability Campaign Member, Women in Government Membership Chair, Phi Alpha Delta Member, The League of Women Voters of Tallahassee Political Communications Intern, and Kids Club Counselor at Maclay School.

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-antoni

Accessing Florida’s Teen Court Procedures: Leon County

Abstract

Teen Courts are a diversionary program meant to provide juveniles with an alternative route to that of the traditional justice system, which prioritizes punitive means. The hope is that through a restorative justice approach, including peer involvement to promote accountability and reflection, the juvenile will come to understand the harm they have caused to society, leading to a lower recidivism rate among juveniles. In our research project, we aim to identify the innovative practices and procedures that take place across Teen Courts in Florida and view the mechanisms through which they reduce recidivism. To achieve this, a comparative analysis of Leon County and Alachua County Teen Courts was conducted, focusing on qualitative data gathered through observation reports from various site visits to Teen Court sessions. The observations showed that Leon County employs a “Quality over Quantity” approach to handling Teen Court cases, by taking on one case per session, having teen attorneys who were trained by a Teen Attorney Supervisor, as well as modifying their process to a Tribunal-style teen court session to accommodate sensitive cases. Considering these findings in conjunction with Alachua’s as well as future observations of other Teen Courts in Florida, we seek to pinpoint optimal procedures for Teen Courts nationwide to adopt.

Keywords: Teen Court, Political Science, Sociology