Welcome to the MDTCA

Thank you for visiting the Maryland Teen Court Association. We are a nonprofit organization that oversees Maryland’s Teen Court programs.

Our Mission
To provide first time misdemeanor youth offenders an opportunity to restore relationships within their communities and provide them the resources to improve future decision making.

The Outcome
Based on the philosophy that a young law violator does not continue to be an offender when a jury of peers decides punishment, these diversion programs teach responsibility while restoring a sense of safety in the community. Maryland’s Teen Courts provide opportunities for youth offenders to avoid the stigma of a formal juvenile record while focusing on accountability and development.

What you will find here
On this site, you will find profiles of Maryland’s Teen Courts, statistics on their success, and resources for further reading about the Teen Court concept, one of the most important innovations in our nation’s juvenile justice system.


For a quick link to “The Multi-jurisdictional Teen Court Evaluation: A Comparative Evaluation of Three Teen Court Models” click HERE

Watch the reenactment by the Baltimore City Teen Court and the St. Mary’s County Teen Court of a Teen Court bullying case before the American Bar Association on November 8, 2019.  Click here for the Twitter presentation.

Sadly the Wicomico County Teen Court which began helping county teens in May 2017 had to cease operations in 2019 due to lack of funding.