| History of Youth Courts |
|
According to the National Association of Youth Courts' Database, in 1994 there were only 78 youth court programs in operation; as of February 2004, there were 900 youth court programs in operation in 48 states and the District of Columbia, and in 2007 there are 1250 youth court programs in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Conflicting accounts in the literature create challenges to tracing the exact beginnings of youth court programs. One of the earliest known programs still in operation is the Naperville Youth Jury in Naperville, Illinois. Naperville's program started in June of 1972. There are also anecdotal reports of a youth court that began operating in Horseheads, New York in 1968. Do you have information on programs that were operating before 1968? If so, please let us know about them by submitting the following form: |