Collin County Teen Court is starting a Community Impact Program that will be mandatory for all defendants charged with theft, property damage, or a related offense.

The program, where meetings will be held once every two months, will be a discussion between defendants, one or two Teen Court facilitators, and local business owners and representatives. Each meeting will be about 90 minutes. Dates will be posted soon.

This program gives community members an opportunity to inform juvenile defendants on the consequences of crimes (primarily theft) have on businesses and owner or employee lives. Local business owners who volunteer have the opportunity to share personal experiences with defendants.

The program aims to:

• Provide local business owners and representatives a chance to share their experiences and educate defendants on the physical and financial consequences of crime
• Humanize the effects of criminal behavior
• Teach offenders the importance of respect
• Develop offenders' sense of responsibility for their actions
• Help defendants understand the widespread effects of criminal behavior on their communities

All Community Impact Program meetings will be held at the Frisco Sub-Courthouse. The address is as follows:

Frisco Collin County Sub-Courthouse
8585 John Wesley Drive
Frisco, TX 75034

Collin County Teen Court needs local business owners and representatives to volunteer! Only through your participation can defendants truly witness and learn from the impact that criminal behavior - especially theft - has on Collin County businesses.

Use this link to sign up. You can also email teencourt@collincountytx.gov or call the Teen Court Coordinator at (972) 548-4654 for more information.