Knox County Tennessee

Juvenile Court

Juvenile Court Mission Statement

The Juvenile Court had adapted as its mission statement the classic opening paragraphs of the Juvenile Court Law.
  1. Provide for the care, protection, and wholesome moral, mental, and physical development of children coming within its provisions;
  2. Consistent with the protection of the public interest, to remove from children committing delinquent acts the taint of criminality and the consequences of criminal behavior and to substitute, therefore, a program of treatment, training, and rehabilitation;
  3. Achieve the foregoing purposes in a family environment whenever possible, separating the child from his or her parents only when necessary for the child's welfare or in the interest of public safety;
  4. Provide a simple judicial procedure through which these functions are executed and enforced and in which the parties are assured a fair hearing and their constitutional and other legal rights are recognized and enforced. (from TCA 37-1-101)