Research shows teen courts result in significantly lower rates of recidivism among youth compared to the traditional juvenile justice system process and punishment.

 

Founded in 2015 by Judge Lilia Alvarez, the Guadalupe Teen Court Program is composed of teen volunteers who are trained to serve in the roles of peer jurors, judge/foreperson, lawyer, victim advocate, and bailiff in adjudicating cases of juveniles ages 9-17 years old who have committed an offense.  

This program is a partnership between the Maricopa County Superior Court/Juvenile Court Division and probation department, the Organizing Institute for Democracy, the Guadalupe Branch Library (part of the Maricopa County Library District), the Town of Guadalupe and the Tempe Union High School District.

The model for this diversion program is restorative justice. The goal of restorative justice is to repair the harm that has been done to the victim, the community, and the juvenile as a result of the crime in order to prevent the youth’s future involvement in the criminal justice system.

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“Teen Court has helped me understand the meaning of restorative justice. By participating in hearings of actual people, you can see there is a way to help people see a way out of making the same mistake again.”

— Guadalupe Teen Court Member

Accomplishments

Please use arrows < > below to read about our many accomplishments.

Accomplishments

A Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition was presented to Guadalupe Teen Court in recognition of outstanding and invaluable service to the community from U.S. Congressman Ruben Gallego, December 20, 2019.

Read our feature in Wrangler News: “Peers serve as judge, jury for young offenders in court” by clicking here!

Teen Court members have visited the Arizona State Capitol with Senator Sean Bowie, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the Mesa Public Library Genesis Youth Center, the Chandler Museum, South Mountain Community College, Tempe High Teen Court, the Sandra Day O’Connor Courthouse and met with U.S. District Judge Steven Logan, court staff, and U.S. Marshals, met with Sheriff Paul Penzone and toured his headquarters and the 4th Ave Jail, the Phoenix Justice Court, the University Lakes Justice Court, attended Guadalupe Town Council meetings and Tempe Union Governing Board meetings.

Teen Court members have met with numerous guest speakers such as court professionals, lawyers in a variety of practices, community leaders, elected officials, and educators.

Guadalupe Teen Court members meet year-round on a weekly basis for one hour to learn constitutional law, civics, community leadership, and workforce development skills; and adjudicated cases each month.

Guadalupe Teen Court Ambassadors Program: From October 2016 - October 2019, 10 Teen Court members were awarded all-expense paid scholarships to visit Washington, D.C. with opportunities to tour the U.S. Supreme Court and hear oral arguments, tour the White House, tour the U.S. Capitol buildings, visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Holocaust Museum and meet Holocaust survivors, Newseum, the U.S. Botanic Garden, National Archives, Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, and more.

Guadalupe Teen Court Member Danielle Delgado was honored as second place winner in the essay competition at the 10th Annual AZ Teen Court Summit.

In January 2017, Teen Court members attended ASU’s program for U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Teen Court members have adjudicated over 200 Superior Court cases from February 2015 to present through the restorative justice model.

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Teen Volunteers

Guadalupe Teen Court members range in age between 13-18 years old. Teen Court members hear the cases, ask the questions, and perform the duties of jurors, bailiff, victim advocate, attorney, and foreperson to deliberate and decide consequences for the purposes of restorative justice.

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National Recognition

In 2016, the National Association of Counties (NACo) recognized this program for innovation, as the only Teen Court in the State of Arizona that is held in a library setting with a Judge as their Director.

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Main Goal

To empower youth in the community to help change negative and delinquent behavior in their peers, to foster civic engagement, and to model the value of education. Teen Court members assign constructive consequences designed to help juvenile offenders make better choices in the future.

Guadalupe Teen Court is a program of the Organizing Institute for Democracy (OID), a 501(c)(3) organization.

 

All donations to support the work of the Guadalupe Teen Court Program are tax deductible and can be made to OID with Teen Court in the memo line.

It is our goal to continue serving the community with integrity and professionalism. Our commitment to provide restorative justice through innovation remains steadfast. The accomplishments of the past six years are a reflection of the dedication and commitment of Teen Court members, their families, and the ongoing support from community leaders and organizations.