With the growing number of adolescents going through "the System" each year, there is an increasing need for sentencing alternatives and public education of the judicial process. Jones 4 Teens  offers a voluntary alternative to the criminal justice system for young people who have committed a crime or an offense. The goal of Jones4Teens is to intervene in early anti-social, delinquent, and criminal behavior, and to reduce the incidence and prevent the escalation of such behavior. Jones4 Teens strives to promote feelings of self esteem and desire for self improvement, and to foster a healthy attitude toward rules and authority.

     The purpose, aside from sentencing, is to educate and motivate both defendants and student participants while promoting better communication between attorneys, defendants, the court, and the  community.  The Jones 4Teens  Program is two-fold in its purpose. First, to subject youthful offenders to sentences by their own peers; and secondly, to encourage more participation in the judicial process with increased understanding of the day-to-day application by all young people.

     Through enabling teens to understand the consequences of their actions, by focusing on their strengths and giving them an opportunity to take an active role in making amends, District Jones4Teens is a unique process that incorporates teens, victims, and the community in a new form of justice—one that is believed to be effective in reducing juvenile crime. Entrusting youth to make difficult decisions about a peer’s behavior sends an unmistakable message: that these youth are valued, influential, contributing members of our community. Moreover, the sentence is likely to be more casually related to the offense than a fine or even specified hours of volunteer service given by a judge.