Youth courts, also known as teen courts and peer juries, involve volunteers from 8 to 18 years of age in sentencing their peers for delinquent acts, traffic infractions, or school rule violations. Instead of being ignored by the juvenile court system for a minor offense, youth court respondents confront and address the impact of their behavior on all victims. Instead of just paying a fine in traffic court, youth who commit traffic infractions explore the impact of their careless driving and have a chance to find out more about the harm they caused. Instead of being suspended from school for multiple truancies, youth court respondents learn what impact truancy has on themselves, their families, their schoolmates, and the community. In each case, young people get a chance to make up for the harm they caused and develop needed competencies.

This Roadmap examines the nature, structure, and benefits of youth courts and explores the roles played by a variety of government and community entities. It highlights examples of successful youth courts throughout the United States ones based in juvenile justice, community, and school settings. It spotlights unique innovations in youth courts and discusses statewide associations that play a role in supporting and networking youth courts within a state.