How much do NC teen court programs reduce recidivism among youth under 18?

To better understand the use of teen court programs, the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP) at the NC Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) is conducting qualitative and quantitative research to focus on the fidelity of the traditional teen court model in North Carolina and to understand the local impacts the model produces.

The following topics will inform this work:

1. Implementation: Are teen court programs in North Carolina operated with fidelity to the traditional teen court model?
2. Impact: To which populations of juveniles is the traditional teen court model most effective for in North Carolina? For example: Older versus younger, first-time referrals versus repeat referrals, legal status, etc. 
3. Improvement: What strategies should be considered for continuation, expansion, and targeting of teen court programs?
4. Benefit-cost analysis: Assess the benefit to cost ratio and chance benefits will exceed costs akin to analysis available for NC traditional Teen Court and hybrid models. 

The NC Department of Public Safety, Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the NC Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) hosted a research partnership meeting on June 6, 2022, to discuss this project. Click here for the meeting recording and here for NCDPS’s presentation.

This project was awarded a grant from the North Carolina Evaluation Fund in October 2022.

Project last updated 1/6/2025.