FSU Associate Teaching Professor of Interdisciplinary Social Science Alexandra Cockerham, Ph.D., received a grant of approximately $112,000 from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety to examine the effect of teen courts on recidivism.
Dr. Cockerham was part of a collaborative interdisciplinary study investigating the effectiveness of North Carolina’s Teen Court system as an alternative to traditional juvenile justice processes.
In collaboration with an interdisciplinary team from Montreat College, over 10 FSU undergraduate students from various majors across the university have engaged in research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), the Research-Intensive Bachelor’s Certificate (RIBC), the Political Science Department, and Direct Individual Studies (DIS) opportunities for ISS students.
Dr. Cockerham served as research consultant on the project, serving as the one of the lead authors of “Assessing the Impact of North Carolina Teen Court on Recidivism”. The study was presented to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety management team and attended by several FSU undergraduate researchers.
The research was funded by the North Carolina Office of Strategic Partnerships and conducted in collaboration with the North Carolina Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. It highlights the significant role of Teen Courts in reducing recidivism rates among youth offenders.
Teen Courts represent a restorative justice approach, aiming to rehabilitate youth offenders through peer-driven processes rather than punitive measures. Dr. Cockerham and her team found that these programs significantly lower the likelihood of reoffending, demonstrating their value in reducing recidivism, relapsing into criminal behavior, and providing youth with a second chance to avoid the cyclical nature of the justice system.
The study included an in-depth analysis of data from 6,554 youth involved in Teen Court, other diversion programs, and the traditional juvenile justice system across North Carolina. Through site visits, surveys, and advanced statistical techniques, such as propensity score matching, the team compared outcomes among these groups.
“What we found was clear,” Dr. Cockerham said, “youth who complete the Teen Court process are 49% less likely to reoffend compared to those who enter the traditional juvenile justice system.”
These findings were consistent across comparison groups, underscoring the program’s efficacy. Dr. Cockerham emphasized the importance of accessibility to such programs, noting that Teen Courts are not equally available across the state.
“Our findings highlight the need to expand Teen Court programs to reach a broader population of at-risk youth,” she said.
The study also identified structural disparities, such as limited funding, staffing shortages, and challenges in parental engagement, which hinder the effectiveness and reach of Teen Court programs. Addressing these gaps could enhance outcomes and increase program impact.
The research team’s methods included site visits to teen courts in 10 counties, surveys of jurisdictions with and without Teen Courts, and a quasi-experimental research design. They found that Teen Court not only serves as a practicable alternative to traditional systems but also fosters accountability and rehabilitation, aligning with the principles of restorative justice.
One of the key takeaways from this work is the value of interdisciplinary collaboration. Over ten undergraduate students from FSU are contributing to the Teen Court Projects, developing surveys, conducting literature reviews, attending meetings with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, creating standard operating procedures for site visits, and analyzing site visit reports.
The FSU students come from several majors within the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, including Political Science, Economics, and Interdisciplinary Social Science, as well as from around FSU, including majors from Criminology, Business, Psychology, and Philosophy.
“Our work underscores the practical implications of evidence-based policy,” Dr. Cockerham said. “By demonstrating how Teen Courts reduce recidivism, we’re providing policymakers and stakeholders with data-driven recommendations to expand and strengthen these programs.”
The study’s results are scheduled to be shared at the Association of Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS) conference in 2025. The research not only advances understanding of teen courts but also offers actionable insights for improving juvenile justice systems nationwide.
As a part of this project, Dr. Cockerham supported three students to attend the 2025 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC) and present the research on juvenile justice and their role in the project. In addition, Dr. Cockerham is supporting another student to attend the Yale Undergraduate Research Conference in spring 2025, where he will be presenting the research on a spin-off project relating to Florida Teen Court system coauthored with another ISS faculty, Dr. Radha Modi.
To learn more about Dr. Alexandra Cockerham and her work, click here. For updates about research from faculty in FSU’s Interdisciplinary Social Science program and within the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, visit cosspp.fsu.edu/category/research.