City of Goose Creek

Youth Court provides a two-fold service.

The purpose of Youth Court is to give juvenile offenders the opportunity to be tried by a group of peers instead of a typical jury trial. The program also educates the teenagers conducting the trial about the judicial process and rule of the law through a hands-on approach.

Success
These courts are one of the fastest growing crime intervention and prevention programs in the nation. The program is successful for both the teenage participants and the juvenile offenders.

Nonviolent Juvenile Offenders
In the City of Goose Creek, Youth Court offers a judicial procedure in which peers’ sentence nonviolent juvenile offenders. By involving the community and family members of offenders and victims, our youth court influences the lives of juveniles in a unique and positive way.

Youth Court Training
The city’s Youth Court is comprised of students from Goose Creek and Stratford High Schools. Students can elect to become a part of the youth court program by signing up for this credited course at either of the high schools in Goose Creek.

The students are given youth court training classes through several means other than the assigned instructor. City judges, police officers, and attorneys are called in as guest instructors. During court each student is given the opportunity to be the bailiff, defendant, or prosecution attorney, or one of the three judges who preside over each individual case.

Additional Information
To learn more about youth courts, contact the National Youth Court Center at 859-244-8193 or visit the center online.