Warren County Teen Court seniors graduate: largest program state-wide

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – In the midst of wrapping up finals, a handful of senior students across Warren County celebrated their last days together in Teen Court.

Only it’s the second year, Warren County already has the largest Teen Court program in Kentucky, bosting 116 high school city, county, and home-schooled students in the program. 

Over the course of the school year, Teen Court introduces these students to the judicial system. Students serve as attorneys or jurors, practicing empathy, critical thinking, and public speaking with each court session.

Teen Court Senior Graduate Molly Arnold said, “It’s probably the highlight of my month every month, being an attorney with some of my best friends, but also really getting to know the defendants and experiencing what it’s like to build a case and argue that case in a real courtroom.”

Warren County Teen Court founder Judge Kim Geoghegan said, “We’re also hoping that some of the students that participate in our teen court program will come back to Warren County as attorneys eventually. We have several students that are interested in law school, and we would love to see them come back and practice law in our county.”

The program also serves as an early intervention program for juvenile offenders. Geoghegan says low recidivism rates mirror the success.