Gulf Coast Supports 'Second Chances' at Teen Court

Teen Court of Sarasota was the first program of its kind in the state of Florida, and now the Teen Court concept has a presence in 62 out of Florida’s 67 counties. The program serves as an alternative to the juvenile court system, giving teenagers who have made poor decisions a chance to keep the offense off their permanent record.

For 30 years, our local Teen Court has served thousands of youth across the county. However, this beneficial program was inaccessible to many adolescents in south Sarasota County until 2018, when a long-awaited expansion to North Port was made possible with funding from Gulf Coast Community Foundation and other supporters.

Since the expansion, Teen Court has seen a significant influx of youth come through its doors. In February, to support the higher demand as well as critical wraparound services that make the program even more effective, Gulf Coast awarded Teen Court a $15,000 grant to help continue this crucial service.

“They leave this program with a dismissal of the defense,” says Teen Court Executive Director Heather Todd of the youth who participate. “It’s not a conviction that they’ll have on their record. They’ve been cited with a crime, they have not been charged.

Positive ‘Peer Pressure’

The defendant, or ‘client,’ has the opportunity to take the stand and tell their story to a jury of their peers, a prosecuting teenage attorney, teenage defense attorney, and an adult judge. The client receives a sentence, which includes some combination of community service, jury duty, essays, and substance abuse programs. When appropriate, teens are given access to free mental health counselling with private counselors and private therapists. 

“We have good kids who have made a poor choice. If we all sit back and reflect, we have all made poor choices,” says Todd. “We hold the kids accountable. The juvenile court judges have said for years that our kids, their peers, give them a heftier consequence than had they gone to juvenile court.”

Nearly all youths who complete the program will not have a repeat offense. Our local program has a 92% success rate, meaning they are never charged post-fulfillment, compared with a 52% success rate in juvenile court.

“Without the support of this community, we cannot continue to grow,” says Todd. “And I know we’re doing so much more than just giving consequences to young people who made a poor choice. It’s the positive redirection that they’re turning their lives around and they’re making choices that, in a positive manner, will affect the rest of their lives.”

To learn more about Teen Court of Sarasota, go here.