Teen Court is an early intervention community resource for first time juvenile offenders. It seeks to reduce recidivism by holding juveniles responsible for their actions through community based sentencing options.
The solution of adult problems tomorrow depends in large measure upon the
way our children grow up today. There is no greater insight into the future than
recognizing that when we save our children, we save ourselves.
- Margaret Mead
Florida's first Teen Court was implemented in 1988 in Sarasota County. The Teen Court concept quickly spread throughout the State, with presently about 54 Teen Courts in operation in Florida. The Florida Association of Teen Courts, Inc. (FATC) was developed on 1997 by a steering committee of the existing programs. The goal of the FATC is to foster the development of Teen Court programs in Florida and beyond. FATC has developed legislation to fund Teen Courts through a court cost fee that has contributed to state-wide expansion of the concept.