Policy Tool
Model statute on shackling reform.
Fact sheet on the use of shackling in youth court.
In juvenile courts throughout the nation, children arrive, face full hearings, and depart weighed down by handcuffs, leg irons, and belly chains. They appear this way not because they pose a threat to others in the courtroom or are a flight risk but because most jurisdictions indiscriminately shackle all youth in juvenile court, often without…
Youth involved in delinquency proceedings are constitutionally entitled to have highly competent lawyers represent them at every critical stage of the case. To provide this high-level representation, defense attorneys who work in juvenile court should receive specialized training: they should be familiar with the juvenile court process and the role of the juvenile defender, the…
There is an immediate and predominant need for specialized training in juvenile defense: training is both the foundation and the gateway to comprehensive advocacy by juvenile defenders, and it is key to ensuring that youths’ constitutionally mandated due process rights are protected. To be effective and zealous advocates, juvenile defenders must develop a set of…
The Supreme Court’s 1967 ruling in In re Gault established the right for all children to have counsel in delinquency proceedings, but the nature of that right has often been unclear or misunderstood, even by some juvenile defenders charged with protecting the liberty and interests of their young clients. Juvenile defense standards provide juvenile defenders…
Quality legal representation informed by social science research and best practices is integral to ensuring the fair administration of justice in the juvenile delinquency system. The importance of a youth’s access to knowledgeable, well-resourced juvenile indigent defense counsel cannot be overstated. The prevalence of lowbid, flat-fee contracting schemes for court-appointed and contract juvenile indigent defense…
The defender’s unique challenge is to be the advocate—the voice—of the child. To meet this challenge, and to be able to offer the court the expressed interests of the child, the juvenile defender must master a diverse set of skills to uphold core ethical obligations and to help clients navigate the complexities of the justice…