MTV's "Juvies" series could be resurrected for regular television.

Lake County Juvenile Court Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura said Monday the concept of giving viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the criminal justice system is being shopped to NBC.

"MTV was the perfect forum to do this," she told members of the Friends of the Domestic Relations Counseling Bureau. "Their viewership is who we're trying to reach. ... We want to reach out to let kids see what the consequences of their actions are."

The original eight-part MTV "Juvies" series, which aired last year, featured delinquent teens moving through the Lake County juvenile court system.

Bonaventura said the series was a wake-up call for her because she doesn't often get a chance to see what happens to the teens before entering the courtroom.

"You'd think after doing this for so long I'd get hard to it," Bonaventura said of her nearly 15 years as a judge. "But I'm a softie with these kids."

She showed a "Juvies" episode Monday night featuring then 17-year-old Javier. The teen was caught burglarizing a home and was shuttled to the detention center, where his bravado deflated under his parents' disappointment. Bonaventura sent him home with stern instructions and an ankle monitoring bracelet.

Bonaventura joked about her nervousness in filming the series.

"It was kind of scary," she said. "I mean, Richard Gere is going to see me."

She said she hopes redoing the series would deter other teens from making costly mistakes.

"It'd be OK," Bonaventura said of filming again. "If eight (shows) were good, 16 would be better."