Juvenile Justice Workers’ Perceptions of Teen Court and Traditional Court

The impact of alternative programs for juveniles within the juvenile justice court system was not well understood. Studies such as research from the Annie E. Casey Foundation identified juvenile diversion approaches as an effective method of reducing recidivism in juvenile courts. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to seek understanding of the nontraditional juvenile court process from the perceptions of juvenile justice workers in a local teen court program. Deterrence theory provided the theoretical framework to guide the study. Open-ended survey questions were used to collect data from 11 juvenile justice officers from the local Department of Juvenile Justice in a southern U.S. region. Participants were questioned regarding their experiences and perceptions of working with juveniles who entered the teen court and the traditional court. Data were coded and categorized to identify three themes: forms of court, sentencing outcome, and overall experience. Juvenile justice systems may benefit from the results of this study through influencing policymakers to create or expand existing legislation on teen courts and further assist in decreasing recidivism among juvenile offenders