Colorado § 19-2.5-1003 - Teen court program - supervising courts.

§ 19-2.5-1003. Teen court program - supervising courts.

(1) Any supervising court is authorized to establish a teen court program pursuant to the this part 10. In any jurisdiction where a teen court program is established, a teen charged with a minor offense may receive a deferred judgment, a condition of which is successful participation in the teen court program.

(2) The procedure for determining the eligibility for and imposition of the deferred judgment is as follows:

(a) The teen, in the presence of at least one of the teen's parents or legal guardian, enters a plea of guilty to the minor offense charged;

(b) The teen requests to participate in the teen court program, agrees to the deferral of further proceedings in the supervising court for a period of six months or until the teen has successfully completed the teen court program, and provides the court with addresses for mailing notices to both the teen and the teen's parent or legal guardian;

(c) The supervising court finds that the teen will benefit more from participation in the teen court program than from any other sentence that may be imposed;

(d) The supervising court may accept the teen's plea, order that the teen participate in the teen court program, and defer further proceedings in the supervising court for up to six months; and

(e) In addition to ordering the teen to participate in the teen court program, the supervising court may enter an order that the teen pay any restitution otherwise authorized by law.

(3) If the supervising court receives a report from the teen court judge that the teen has not successfully completed the teen court program, or if within six months after the entry of the order for deferred judgment the supervising court has not received a report that the teen has successfully completed the teen court program, the court shall schedule a sentencing hearing, send notice to the teen and the teen's parent or legal guardian at the addresses given at the time of the order for deferred judgment or any changed address, and at the sentencing hearing impose any other sentence authorized for the offense charged.

(4) If the supervising court receives a report from the teen court judge that the teen has successfully completed the teen court program, the court shall dismiss all charges against the teen. The dismissal does not constitute a conviction for any purpose.

Source: L. 2021: Entire article added with relocations, (SB 21-059), ch. 136, p. 629, § 2, effective October 1.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 19-2-1103 as it existed prior to 2021.