South Coast Youth Court

What South Coast Youth Court does

South Coast Youth Court is a community-based nonprofit operating in the South Coast region of Massachusetts, with its main office at 360 Coggeshall Street in New Bedford and a secondary office inside the Fall River Police Station at 685 Pleasant Street. It is hosted under Insight Youth Services and operates juvenile diversion, youth development, and restorative justice programs targeted at youth ages roughly 8 through 18. Its flagship offering is a peer jury diversion program in which high school students aged 12-18 serve as jurors determining sanctions for first-time youthful offenders referred by schools, police departments, or courts, allowing respondents to avoid a criminal record. Adjacent programs include Drive Smart South Coast (distracted driving diversion for junior operators), Brighter Futures Diversion (behavioral classes for grades 3-5), Project LIVE (police-officer mentoring), Project LIFE (middle school life skills), Project STEAM and Project Bridge (5th grade STEAM programming), and the One and Done V.A.P.E. class.

The organization is structured around human-delivered services rather than any technology platform; outreach and intake are handled through the website, downloadable forms in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, Google Form applications, and referrals from a network of partner schools, police departments, courts, and community organizations. Funding comes from grants and government sources, with all programs offered free of charge to participants. Adult volunteer judges, drawn from community attorneys, retired judges, and elected officials, oversee hearings and have contributed over 3,000 hours to the program. The team of approximately 14 paid staff operates under Director Terri Belliveau and Assistant Director Elisa Lopes, with case management, program facilitation, training and development, and a dedicated grant manager. The strategic posture is one of regional scaling within South Coast Massachusetts through deepening institutional partnerships rather than geographic or product expansion outside the existing service area.

Name

South Coast Youth Court

Legal name

South Coast Youth Court

Website

https://southcoastyouthcourts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South Coast Youth Court is a South Coast Massachusetts nonprofit offering juvenile diversion, restorative justice, and youth development programs, including peer jury hearings, free to referred youth ages 12-18 and supported by grants and volunteer judges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Diversion and Juvenile Justice Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Juvenile Detention & Youth Custody Services (BPAKANAC), Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE), Charter Alternative & At-Risk Schools (Continuation, Credit Recovery, Juvenile) (EDAJACAE)

Keywords

• Youth diversion services
• Juvenile justice programs
• Restorative justice practices
• Peer jury courts
• After school programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New Bedford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Government Funding: Funded through grants and government programs to operate free youth diversion services including Youth Court, Drive Smart South Coast, and Brighter Futures programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

South Coast Youth Court is a community-based juvenile diversion program that gives youthful offenders a second chance without a criminal record by conducting peer jury hearings where high school jurors assign sanctions overseen by adult judges. The organization also offers driving distraction intervention (Drive Smart South Coast), elementary behavior adjustment classes (Brighter Futures Diversion), and multiple after-school programs covering STEAM, mentoring with police officers, life skills, and vaping prevention.

Product overview

South Coast Youth Court is a community-based youth services organization operated by Insight Youth Services, offering a portfolio of diversion programs and youth development services in the South Coast region of Massachusetts. The core offering consists of South Coast Youth Court (a juvenile diversion alternative to traditional prosecution), Drive Smart South Coast (driving distraction intervention), and Brighter Futures Diversion (elementary school behavior adjustment). Supporting these are after-school programs including Project STEAM, Project LIVE (police mentoring), Project LIFE (life skills), and Invest In Kids programming for transitioning 5th graders. All programs aim to provide youth with supportive environments, skill development, and alternatives to criminal records or disciplinary actions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drive Smart South Coast: A second chance program for junior operators who are stopped while driving distracted.
• Brighter Futures Diversion
• Project LIVE
• Project LIFE
• Insight Youth Services

Products and services

• South Coast Youth Court (Juvenile Diversion Program) Peer jury hearing program that gives youthful offenders ages 12-18 a second chance without a criminal record; respondents accept responsibility and complete sanctions assigned by a peer jury, overseen by volunteer adult judges.
• Drive Smart South Coast Second chance intervention program for junior operators who are stopped while driving distracted, providing an alternative to traditional prosecution.
• Brighter Futures Diversion Program for elementary school students in grades 3-5 needing behavior adjustment, delivered through educational classes.
• Project Bridge / Project STEAM 5th grade after-school STEAM program offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays for 5 weeks in local schools, providing hands-on STEAM activities to students.
• Project STEAM - Mentoring Mentoring program connecting adults and students through hands-on STEAM activities, offered in New Bedford and Fall River one day a week for 10 weeks.
• Project LIVE Referral-based mentoring program connecting students with Police Officer Mentors to help reduce stigmas and negative perceptions of law enforcement.
• Project LIFE Life skills program for middle school students in New Bedford and Fall River, offered as an 8-week program one day a week to develop skills not always taught in school.
• Invest In Kids Programming Programming for 5th graders transitioning to middle school, helping prepare them for the next academic and social challenge.
• One and Done V.A.P.E Class Educational class addressing vaping prevention for youth, with permission slip available for download.
• After School Programming (Insight Youth Services) Safe, fun, activities-based after-school programming offering hands-on activities for youth of all ages, hosted by Insight Youth Services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 volunteer hours donated by judges

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Positive Action Against Chemical Addiction (PAACA)coreOthersPAACA building at 360 Coggeshall Street in New Bedford houses the Main Office of South Coast Youth Court. Youth Services operates from this shared community facility.
• Fall River Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFall River Police Station at 685 Pleasant Street houses the Fall River Youth Court Office and hearing night space. Department refers youth candidates to diversion program.
• New Bedford Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolice department partners with Youth Court by referring youthful offenders to the diversion program and participating in Project LIVE mentoring.
• UMass DartmouthminorOthersCommunity partner listed on downloadable forms page, supporting South Coast Youth Court programs.
• Bristol Community CollegeminorOthersCommunity partner providing support to South Coast Youth Court programs.
• Gifts to GiveminorOthersCommunity organization partner supporting South Coast Youth Court programs.
• Area Schools (New Bedford, Fall River, Dartmouth, Somerset, Fairhaven, Acushnet, Freetown)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchools refer students to diversion programs, recruit peer jurors, use jury experience as classroom assignments or extra-credit projects. Multiple school districts partner including New Bedford, Fall River, Dartmouth, Somerset, Fairhaven, Acushnet, and Freetown.
• Massachusetts Department of EducationminorOthersState education agency partner supporting youth programming initiatives.
• Massachusetts Attorney General OfficeminorOthersState government partner listed as community supporter of South Coast Youth Court.
• Massachusetts House of RepresentativesminorOthersState legislative partner supporting the organization.
• Massachusetts SenateminorOthersState legislative partner supporting the organization.
• American Bar AssociationminorOthersNational legal organization partner supporting youth justice initiatives.
• Global Youth JusticeminorOthersNational organization supporting youth court programs, listed as community partner.
• U.S. Department of JusticeminorOthersFederal government partner supporting youth justice diversion programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth mentoring nonprofit operating one-to-one mentoring programs for at-risk youth. Comparable on the mentoring component (e.g., Project LIVE mentoring with police officer mentors) and at-risk youth focus.
• Global Youth Justice: National nonprofit supporting the replication of youth court and teen court programs across the U.S. and internationally. Comparable as a peer-support and standards body for the youth court model; South Coast Youth Court is listed as a community partner.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit offering after-school programming, mentorship, and youth services across thousands of locations. Overlaps with South Coast Youth Court on after-school enrichment and youth development missions, though larger and broader in scope.
• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit placing site coordinators inside K-12 schools to deliver integrated student supports. Overlaps with South Coast's school-based delivery model (Project Bridge, Project STEAM in local schools) and at-risk youth focus.

Direct peers

• Suffolk County Youth Court (Long Island, NY): Long Island-based youth court operating peer jury diversion for juvenile offenders. Operates in a similar small-staff, volunteer-judge, school-and-police-referral model as South Coast Youth Court, making it a strong operational peer.
• Baltimore City Teen Court: Baltimore's teen court diversion program targeting first-time juvenile offenders through peer jury hearings. Directly comparable model with similar urban Northeast community context and reliance on volunteer legal professionals.
• Multnomah County Juvenile Court / Multnomah County Youth Services: Operates juvenile diversion and youth court programming in the Portland, OR metro area. Directly comparable model: peer jury hearings, referral-based intake, and partnerships with local schools and police departments. Same regulatory and operational model as South Coast Youth Court.
• Jefferson County Teen Court (Colorado): County-administered teen court offering peer jury diversion for first-time juvenile offenders in Jefferson County, CO. Closely aligned mission (youth-led accountability, criminal record avoidance), with comparable referral pipeline through schools, police, and courts.

Emerging players

• National Association of Youth Courts: Trade and advocacy organization supporting youth court practitioners and programs nationwide. Comparable as a peer in the youth court movement; provides training, standards, and advocacy that South Coast Youth Court benefits from indirectly.

Others

• PAACA (Positive Action Against Chemical Addiction): Hosting partner that houses South Coast Youth Court's main office at 360 Coggeshall Street, New Bedford. Comparable as a regional youth and substance-use services nonprofit operating in the same South Coast MA geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ScCourts
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-coast-youth-court

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Coast Youth Court