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鈥淚f [students] are being told not only by teachers but by the system and everyone around them that they鈥檙e 鈥榖ad kids,鈥� you鈥檙e sort of putting them on a path where they have no other choice but [to go] from school to prison,鈥� says Judge Michelle Morales, founder of the in El Paso, Texas.
A court of teenagers, by teenagers, and for teenagers, Teen Court is exactly what it sounds like: a program giving a new name to justice and serving young people across Texas. The court offers a voluntary alternative from the traditional court system for teens under 17 who commit Class C misdemeanors. Students can avoid a fine and instead receive their penalty in constructive ways such as community service and jury terms in the Teen Court. Once completed, the charge is completely removed from their record.
The program allows young people to plead guilty in front of a student jury that empathizes with their situation and asks them questions about circumstances鈥攖heir background, home situation, economic status, and what led them to commit the offense. Rather than face a punitive system, teens can avoid unpleasant experiences with law enforcement and move through an alternative criminal justice system that values them.聽
Student attorney Alex Gonzalez, who is from El Paso, says the program is a way to avoid pigeonholing teens. 鈥淭he program shifts the focus from labeling students as 鈥榦ffenders鈥� or 鈥榡uveniles鈥� in a negative light to seeing them as people who made a mistake and are now learning from it,鈥� she says.
The goal of the court and the student jury is to set teens up for success by making sure the penalty is feasible for each person. In Teen Court, what counts as community service isn鈥檛 strictly limited to volunteering; it鈥檚 any self-improvement action, such as going to counseling, achieving a higher grade in a class, or joining an extracurricular class.
Sophia Garza, the juvenile case manager and director of El Paso鈥檚 Teen Court program explains how community service is defined broadly to accommodate all students. 鈥淚 have kids that live on the other side, in Mexico, but they attend school in El Paso. 鈥� But as long as they鈥檙e doing anything that betters themselves or betters their community, I will take it as community service,鈥� she says.
Sherry Maximoff, Williamson County attorney and Teen Court supervisor, says the volunteer hours also work as constructive punishment for teens because it encourages them to take care of a community they have served. 鈥淚f you are taught to give back to your community and to volunteer, it gives you a sense of ownership and responsibility over your community. This is my community, and I鈥檓 going to clean up those streets, then why would I commit criminal mischief or litter?鈥� she says.
In recent years, Texas has increased criminalization and policing of teens, especially those of color. The state has intensified the number of law enforcement officers on K鈥�12 campuses with larger populations of Latinx and Black students. This has resulted in in arrests, court referrals, and use-of-force incidents. With students of color across the state saying they fear the officers on campuses, Teen Court allows them to avoid traumatizing experiences with law enforcement and have their stories heard without judgment from people within the system.
鈥淸Students are] not dealing with anyone who they identify as law enforcement. That鈥檚 the whole point of positive peer pressure, that it is their peers who stand in judgment of them, not law enforcement, not the system,鈥� explains Morales about how the program is a part of the justice system that veers heavily away from criminalizing students of color.
Garza also says that she notices teens feeling more comfortable once they see other teens on the jury. 鈥淲hen I sit with the youth I can see some are being very cautious. I do see the youth open up more, share a little bit more with their peers, maybe because they feel like if they鈥檙e going to be judged, their peers are going to understand their situation a little bit better,鈥� she explains.
As a state that eschews gun regulation, Texas has also used the overpolicing of schools as a temporary for gun violence. At a time when students are being criminalized at such a high rate, Teen Court programs allow students from marginalized communities to have their stories heard. This is especially important because students going through the system are often dealing with issues far too serious for their age bracket and sometimes beyond their control.
Williamson County Teen Court volunteer Audrey Seigman talks about a case in which a teen was involved in an accident while driving their siblings to school. 鈥淭his person was put in a very difficult position. Their parents made them drive their siblings because they were busy with jobs. The accident wasn鈥檛 their fault, but the police found out they weren鈥檛 qualified to be driving and cited them,鈥� she says.
Other student attorneys say that they鈥檝e seen similar cases with teens who struggle with issues beyond their control because they come from first-generation families. 鈥淸There was] a case involving a student who didn鈥檛 speak English. He was charged with theft, but it became clear that he didn鈥檛 fully understand what was happening or how the legal system worked. His family had recently immigrated and there was a huge language barrier,鈥� says Gargi Singh, a student attorney with the Williamson Teen Court program.
Gonzalez says that declining mental health is common among teens who enter the program. 鈥淐ases involve students dealing with emotional or psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, or trauma. A student might engage in risky behavior as a coping mechanism for their mental health struggles.鈥�
In recent years, there has been a resurgence in 鈥渢ough on crime鈥� approaches to the justice system, including and harsh from the right. The conservative federal policy agenda Project 2025 seeks to increase criminalization and policing by eliminating training for federal law enforcement. Former President Donald Trump has promised he would increase the militarization of police and expand incarceration and the death penalty if elected. In such a context, Teen Court programs are more important than ever, offering a crucial opportunity for teens to bypass the. Students are more likely to avoid entering the system later in their lives because Teen Court embodies a form of restorative justice that doesn鈥檛 use law enforcement or incarceration for discipline.
鈥淎t the very lowest level, where the consequences are least impactful, we give them a positive experience with the criminal justice system. You interrupt that pipeline there, both with the way the child begins to define themselves and by actually physically dismissing the ticket,鈥� says Morales about how Teen Court directly curbs the school-to-prison pipeline. 鈥淲e have defendants who have gone through the program and have had such a positive experience at the end that they have chosen to become volunteers,鈥� she adds.
Judge Elaine Marshall from Houston, Texas, talks about her Teen Court program and how it has discouraged recidivism among teens in her community. 鈥淚 started my Teen Court in 2000. From those years I have had no repeat offenders. It says a lot that we鈥檝e had students who come through as offenders wanting to join the program.鈥�
For student volunteers, the program is also a unique way to learn about the legal system and restorative justice. Especially in a state like Texas, which from learning about historical injustices, Teen Court gives students a hands-on opportunity to learn about nuances within the criminal justice system.
鈥淸The program] is not about branding students as 鈥榗riminals鈥� but about showing them that they鈥檙e capable of growth. It has shown me how crucial empathy and understanding are in fostering real change,鈥� says Singh.
Teen Court is creating a generation of students who know that reform in the criminal justice system is both necessary and possible. The program bridges gaps between teens and builds community and empathy, giving students the confidence to fight for change.
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Marium Zahra
is a high school student, journalist, and artist. She enjoys playing chess, creating realistic art, and reading classic literature. Her work has been published by numerous local magazine, nonprofits, and organizations that protect social justice, including The City Magazine (El Paso/Las Cruces), Chalkbeat, PrismReports, and Business Insider. She speaks English, Spanish, and Urdu.
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