A Brief History

The concept of a court for juvenile offenders or Teen Court originated in Odessa, Texas in 1972 when a judge decided to implement a program to try and reach first-time offenders of misdemeanor crimes. The program rapidly proved to be a successful alternative in handling these young offenders. The recidivism rates for juveniles handled in Teen Court were significantly lower in all cases compared to recidivism rates for first-time juvenile offenders in the regular court system. Programs began spreading throughout the United States based on the Texas model. Names include Teen Court, Youth Court, Peer Court or Student Court. In 1991, a total of 50 courts were active in 14 states.

In 1993, the El Paso County Bar Auxiliary sent Barby Schlabs to a convention in Texas to begin the concept of Colorado Springs Teen Court. Patricia Ezell and Barby Schlabs spent the next eighteen months developing the Colorado Springs Teen Court program. The Colorado Springs Municipal Court agreed to provide office space and court room availability for trials in the Municipal Court House. A coalition was formed from the El Paso County Bar Auxiliary, Colorado Springs Police Department, School District 11, Colorado Springs Municipal Court, the District Attorney’s Office, District Court Judges, Juvenile Magistrates, and the El Paso County Bar Association to help develop and provide input for the program.

Teen Court Board of Directors • 2007-2008

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