CONFLICT RESOLUTION CENTER
of Cabarrus County
TEEN COURT INFORMATION
The Conflict Resolution Center is proud to offer our Teen Court Program to Cabarrus County, established in 2002! Teen Court reproduces the experience of an actual courtroom, allowing first-time juvenile offenders to be tried by their peers. Teen Court demonstrates the creative, positive outcomes of community collaboration and problem-solving.
Teen Court empowers our community’s youth to take an active role in addressing crime in their area and attracts youth who are interested in pursuing a career in the law or criminal justice. Teen volunteers work with real court professionals to ensure an accurate understanding of the responsibilities inherent to their position in Teen Court. Teen volunteers begin their service acting as jurors, and can train for other positions, such as jury foreperson, clerk, bailiff, and attorney.
Teen Court participants are referred by law enforcement directly into the Teen Court program, for low level and non-violent offenses. The process of direct referral bypasses the criminal justice system, thereby allowing court resources to be utilized on more serious and difficult juvenile cases. Our goal at CRC is to facilitate transformational experiences for our Teen Court participants—to promote self-esteem and self-advancement and demonstrate the benefits of law-abiding citizenship and civic engagement. We seek to encourage a healthy respect for authority while acknowledging the myriad of challenges impacting today’s youth. By creating a dialogue with our participants, we are able to identify and work on the underlying issues that led to the incident.
