About MDTCA

The Maryland Teen Court Association (MDTCA) was incorporated in 2001 to accomplish the following goals:

• Reduce juvenile crime and recidivism
• Promote the development of Teen Court programs in Maryland
• Enhance the effectiveness of individual programs by providing training and technical assistance
• Develop consistent standards, practices, and procedures
• Increase public awareness of the restorative justice model
• Assist in the procurement of state and local program funding

Maryland’s first Teen Court was founded in 1997 in Montgomery County; today, the MDTCA is comprised of the state’s seven operational Teen Courts. This growth in Maryland has been mirrored nationally by the phenomenal expansion of Teen and Youth Courts in recent years.  In 1993 there were approximately 50 local Teen Courts in six states; today there are over 1,300 across forty-nine states. 

In addition to Maryland, twenty other states have an organized youth court association with an education-based 501(c)(3) or are in the process of applying for their own 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.