(1) Any supervising court is authorized to establish a teen court program pursuant to the provisions of this part 11. In any jurisdiction where a teen court program is established, a teen charged with a minor offense may receive a deferred judgment, a condition of which is successful participation in the teen court program.
(2) The procedure for determining the eligibility for and imposition of the deferred judgment shall be as follows:
(a) The teen, in the presence of at least one of his or her parents or legal guardian, must enter a plea of guilty to the minor offense charged.
(b) The teen must request to participate in the teen court program, agree to the deferral of further proceedings in the supervising court for a period of six months or until the teen has successfully completed the teen court program, and provide the court with addresses for mailing notices to both the teen and his or her parent or legal guardian.
(c) The supervising court must find that the teen will benefit more from participation in the teen court program than from any other sentence that may be imposed.
(d) The supervising court may accept the teen's plea, order that the teen participate in the teen court program, and defer further proceedings in the supervising court for up to six months.
(e) In addition to ordering the teen to participate in the teen court program, the supervising court may enter an order that the teen pay any restitution otherwise authorized by law.
(3) If the supervising court receives a report from the teen court judge that the teen has not successfully completed the teen court program, or if within six months after the entry of the order for deferred judgment the supervising court has not received a report that the teen has successfully completed the teen court program, the court shall schedule a sentencing hearing, send notice to the teen and his or her parent or legal guardian at the addresses given at the time of the order for deferred judgment or any changed address, and at the sentencing hearing impose any other sentence authorized for the offense charged.
(4) If the supervising court receives a report from the teen court judge that the teen has successfully completed the teen court program, the court shall dismiss all charges against the teen. The dismissal shall not constitute a conviction for any purpose.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.