7-13-1203. Authority to establish teen court program.

(a) The Wyoming supreme court shall adopt rules and regulations governing teen court by July 1, 1996.

(b) In addition to any other power authorized, a municipal court judge, with the approval and consent of the governing body of the municipality, or any circuit court judge, with the approval and consent of the board of county commissioners, may by order establish a teen court program and training standards for participation in accordance with this act to provide a disposition alternative for teens charged with minor offenses.

(c) In any case involving the commission of a minor offense by a teen defendant, the supervising court may, without entering a judgment of guilt or conviction, defer further proceedings and order the defendant to participate in a teen court program, provided:

(i) The teen defendant, with the consent of, or in the presence of, the defendant's parents or legal guardian, enters a plea of guilty in open court to the offense charged;

(ii) The restitution amount, if any, owed to any victim has been determined by the supervising court;

(iii) The defendant requests on the record to participate in the teen court program and agrees that deferral of further proceedings in the action filed in the supervising court is conditioned upon the defendant's successful completion of the teen court program; and

(iv) The court determines that the defendant will benefit from participation in the teen court program.

(d) If the supervising court determines that the teen defendant has successfully completed the teen court program, the supervising court may discharge the defendant and dismiss the proceedings against him.

(e) If the defendant fails to successfully complete the prescribed teen court program, the supervising court shall enter an adjudication of guilt and conviction and proceed to impose sentence upon the defendant for the offense originally charged.

(f) Discharge and dismissal under this section shall be without adjudication of guilt and is not a conviction for any purpose. If the original offense charged was a traffic offense, the court shall, within thirty (30) days after the discharge and dismissal is entered, submit to the department of transportation an abstract of the record of the court evidencing the defendant's successful completion of the teen court program. The department shall maintain abstracts received under this subsection as provided by W.S. 31-5-1214(f).