Dublin's School Resource Officers (SROs) may refer first-time juvenile offenders of misdemeanors or lesser crimes to the Tri-Valley Youth Court, which is a non-profit diversion program. The Tri-Valley Youth Court is an alternative court where middle school and high school-aged offenders are tried before a jury of their peers. The program is made possible by the 150+ youth and adult volunteers who serve as:
- Advocates
- Court attendants
- Court clerks
- Judges
- Mentors
Sentencing
In 2012, Dublin's SROs referred approximately 1/3 of juveniles arrested in Dublin to Youth Court. The SROs follow up on cases to determine whether juvenile offenders have fulfilled their sentencing, which ranges from community service and apologies to anger management classes, counseling, jail tours, Life Choices classes, and restitution. Failure to comply with sentencing results in the case to be referred to juvenile probation.
The
Tri-Valley Youth Court was created by the Center of Community Dispute Settlement.