Resource Library
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…
This resource brief is intended to support juvenile defense advocacy by providing an overview of some of the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) revisions, as well as recommendations and implications for juvenile defense practice. The DSM is a classification manual for mental health professionals with itemized criteria for diagnosing disorders. Juvenile…
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…
These principles are developed as a resource to help defenders and other juvenile court professionals understand the elements of effective detention advocacy on behalf of indigent juvenile clients. Defenders can be at a distinct disadvantage at the detention determination, whether it is at the beginning of the case, when indigent defense counsel often has the…
The juvenile court system is a very complicated and confusing place for anyone who does not regularly work within it. Court involvement can be a extremely stressful process in which children and their families feel like they are being judged and imposed upon at every turn. For all the reasons outlined in this fact sheet,…