Forge Evolution/Teen Court

Background Statement

Colorado Springs Teen Court, Inc. was founded in 1994 by El Paso County Bar Auxiliary volunteers working in conjunction with the El Paso County Bar Association, District and Municipal Court Judges and School District 11 to address the impact of juvenile crime in the Pikes Peak region. It was the view of the organizers that since the traditional court system was able to devote only limited time to young, first-time offenders - many of whom received suspended sentences - the teens often failed to appreciate the harm their actions caused their victims, the community, their families and themselves and would subsequently re-offend.

For three decades, Colorado Springs Teen Court / Forge Evolution has provided life-changing opportunities for teens in our community through restorative justice. Thousands of young lives have been transformed by our teen court program, offering second chances and helping teens turn their lives around. The Teen Court program has used Restorative Justice to provide opportunities for youth to enhance skills, access mentorship, and establish connections through the teaching of responsibility and positive decision-making to create safer communities. Colorado Springs Teen Court prides itself on a 7% recidivism rate and 93% completion rate.

We believe in a future where every youth has the opportunity to build a brighter future, contribute to a stronger community, and forge new paths towards success. One where even those who’ve made mistakes can learn from them, take responsibility, and allow youth the ability to grow. Our community needs to continue to grow and in order for our youth to thrive and become the leaders of tomorrow we must reshape how we support them. We must broaden our organization to a more holistic model to help support the needs of our youth and families at a deeper level, to provide more comprehensive life skills programming, to prevent youth from engaging in criminal behavior, and help them build the skills necessary to become leaders instead.

Teen Court strives to end the cycle of self-destructive behavior of our community's first-time teen offenders and teach them responsibility, self-control and self-respect. While many forms of juvenile crime have declined over the past two decades, the incidence of juvenile arrests for shoplifting, simple assaults and drug violations - crimes that typically qualify for Teen Court - continue to increase. The Teen Court program provides at-risk young offenders the opportunity to have their case reviewed by a group of people their own age, as well as a chance to make amends to their victims and the community as a whole.