Juvenile Court Of Memphis & Shelby County

What Juvenile Court Of Memphis & Shelby County does

The Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County is a county-level trial court within the Tennessee state judicial system, operating under the authority of Shelby County Government and serving a resident population of more than 935,000. Its mandate is juvenile justice and child welfare: it adjudicates delinquency and unruly behavior cases involving youth under 18, and handles non-delinquency matters including abuse and neglect, custody and visitation disputes, foster care, and child support enforcement. The court is led by an elected judge, currently Judge Tarik B. Sugarmon (elected August 2022), who also presides over appeals from nine lower magistrates and the major crimes docket.

The court's operations are organized into interconnected divisions. The Youth Justice Division includes the Children Services Bureau, Youth Services Bureau (probation), Evaluation & Referral Bureau, and a Detention Services Bureau administered by the Shelby County Division of Corrections at the Youth and Justice Education Center. The Child Welfare Services Division encompasses Child Support Services, Protective Services, Foster Care Services, and a Non-Custodial Parent Office. Supplemental programs include a peer-driven Youth Court restorative-justice initiative (developed with the Tennessee Bar Association), CASA, a Foster Care Review Board, and general Volunteer Services (Auxiliary Probation Officers, Mentors, Ambassadors). The court operates four physical locations across Memphis, with the headquarters at 616 Adams Avenue.

The business model is non-commercial: the court is publicly funded, does not charge fees for core judicial services, and is sustained by county appropriations, state child-support program funding, and partner-delivered services. Distribution is direct and in-person; outreach is conducted through Facebook, Instagram, an email newsletter, and community events. Roughly 18 community partners — spanning workforce development, behavioral health, mentoring, and family support — extend the court's service footprint into adjacent social services. There is no proprietary technology stack; the public-facing site is hosted on Wix and the court provides no mobile app, API, or disclosed analytics platform.

Name

Juvenile Court Of Memphis & Shelby County

Legal name

Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County

Website

https://judgesugarmon.com

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County is a publicly funded county trial court that adjudicates juvenile delinquency, child welfare, custody, foster care, and child support matters for residents of Shelby County, Tennessee, operating multiple service divisions and a network of community partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Juvenile Court Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Parole Offices and Probation Offices (922150)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Juvenile Justice System (Courts & Detention) (BPAIAFAF)

Keywords

• Juvenile justice services
• Child welfare services
• Foster care services
• Child support enforcement
• Restorative justice programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County administers juvenile justice and child welfare services for children and families in Shelby County, Tennessee. It adjudicates delinquency cases for youth under 18, handles abuse and neglect proceedings, custody and visitation matters, foster care placement, and child support enforcement, and operates programs such as the peer-driven Youth Court restorative justice model, CASA volunteer advocacy, probation, detention, and community-based intervention services.

Product overview

Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County is a government judicial institution providing a unified system of justice services for families and children in Shelby County. The court operates multiple interconnected divisions and programs: the Youth Justice Division handles delinquency cases through its Children Services Bureau, Youth Services Bureau, Evaluation & Referral Bureau, and Detention Services Bureau; the Child Welfare Services Division addresses non-delinquency matters including Child Support Services, Protective Services, Foster Care, and the Non-Custodial Parent Office. The court also operates volunteer programs including Youth Court, CASA, Foster Care Review Board, and general Volunteer Services. All divisions share the common goal of providing fair, effective, restorative justice while protecting children and supporting families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Court Program A peer-driven restorative justice model providing alternatives to the traditional juvenile justice system; serves as immediate intervention for first-time juvenile offenders who have committed misdemeanor offenses.
• Youth Justice Division Addresses youth under 18 charged with delinquent acts or exhibiting unruly behavior, providing support and processing through multiple specialized bureaus.
• Children Services Bureau Provides restorative resources meeting youth and family needs through evidence-based approaches that yield positive outcomes.
• Youth Services Bureau Redirects and rehabilitates adjudicated delinquent youth, providing probation guidance and assigned services or programs.
• Evaluation & Referral Bureau Takes a holistic, strength-based approach when working with court-involved youth and families to identify specific needs and link them to community service providers.
• Detention Services Bureau Administered by the Shelby County Division of Corrections at the Youth and Justice Education Center (YJEC), providing care and custody for detained youth.
• Child Welfare Services Serves all families in non-delinquency matters including abuse and neglect, custody and visitations, foster care, and child support.
• Child Support Services State of Tennessee Child Support Program designed to assist with getting children the financial and medical support they deserve, operating from South, North, and Main offices.
• Protective Services Screens all complaints alleging children to be dependent, neglected, abused, or abandoned, and makes referrals to other court departments or child welfare agencies.
• Foster Care Services Protects children from unnecessary separation from parents, provides good home and loving care, and monitors care of children in foster care to achieve permanency.
• Non-Custodial Parent Office Assists pro se or self-represented individuals with understanding their rights and responsibilities, provides guidance in use of proper legal forms, and drafts petitions for court cases.
• CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Trained community volunteers appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of children who have been abused or neglected.
• Foster Care Review Board Composed of citizen volunteers serving quasi-judicial functions to advise the Court about the permanency process of each child in foster care.
• Volunteer Services Program Includes Auxiliary Probation Officer (APO), Mentor Program (Youth Developer), and Ambassador Program for community involvement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 935,000+ residents in Shelby County

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

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• COMEC (Commission on Missing & Exploited Children)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMEC is a local non-profit that provides critical child-related services through its offices at the Juvenile Court in Memphis. They offer resources and support for families and children served by the court.
• JFF (Jobs for the Future)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing workforce development and employment-related services to youth and families.
• PURE AcademysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner providing services to youth in the community.
• Families Matter, Inc.supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides programs such as AFIRM (A Father's Involvement Really Matters) supporting family engagement.
• Raphah InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing services to families and youth.
• SeedcosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Tennessee providing employment and support services.
• Youth & Family Resource Center (Shelby County Community Services)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty resource providing youth and family support services.
• Job CorpssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal workforce development program providing education and training services to youth.
• Connections Wellness GroupsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlended health company providing mental/behavioral health services.
• MRC Measurement Resources CompanysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides measurement and assessment services.
• Seeding SuccesssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting youth and family success initiatives.
• Elite Performance FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides sports and athletic programs for youth development.
• Ella Bebe AngelssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization focused on restoring hope for families and children.
• Oasis HopesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity resource providing support services.
• Boys to Men of Memphis Mentoring ProgramsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentoring program supporting boys and young men in the community with the tagline 'On the bridge of life, no child should walk alone'.
• American Job Center TennesseesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner providing employment resources and job placement services.
• Tennessee Bar AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with the court in the development and operation of its Youth Court program.
• CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCASA volunteers are screened, trained, qualified community volunteers appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of children who have been abused or neglected.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Maricopa County Juvenile Court (Phoenix): Large county juvenile court with parallel responsibility for delinquency, dependency, and child support. Comparable in operating structure and in combining court administration with on-site detention and clinical services.
• Hamilton County Juvenile Court (Chattanooga): Another Tennessee county-level juvenile court with similar statutory responsibilities across delinquency, child welfare, and child support. Comparable in structure and operational scope though smaller in population.
• Harris County Juvenile Court (Houston): Texas county juvenile court with comparable jurisdiction over juvenile delinquency and child welfare. Similar in delivering integrated probation, detention, and family services through a single county-level institution.
• Los Angeles County Juvenile Court: One of the largest juvenile court systems in the United States, operating parallel divisions for delinquency and dependency. Comparable in mandate and integrated service model though serving a far larger urban population.
• Cook County Juvenile Court (Chicago): Major metropolitan county juvenile court exercising similar statutory authority over delinquency and child welfare matters. Comparable in jurisdictional breadth and the integration of probation, detention, and child welfare services.
• Davidson County Juvenile Court (Nashville): Tennessee's other major urban county juvenile court, exercising comparable statutory jurisdiction over delinquency, dependency, and child support matters within Davidson County. Most direct operational peer in terms of scale and mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP): Federal agency within the U.S. Department of Justice that funds and sets national policy for juvenile justice programs. Sets standards and funding streams that influence the court's programmatic direction but is not an operational peer.
• Tennessee Department of Children's Services: State-level agency that partners with the court on foster care and protective services. Not a direct competitor but a major statewide incumbent whose policy and funding decisions directly shape the court's operating environment.

Others

• Tennessee Bar Association: Statewide bar association that collaborates with the court on the Youth Court Program and broader attorney resource initiatives. An enabling/ecosystem partner rather than a competitor.
• National CASA / CASA for Children: National umbrella organization that supports the local CASA volunteer program embedded at the court. An enabling/thematic peer rather than a competitor, since CASA operates inside the court as a court-appointed advocacy program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MSCJC
• Instagraminstagram.com/memphisshelbyjuvenilecourt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Juvenile Court Of Memphis & Shelby County