Feature

Innovative Network Enacting Juvenile Indigent Defense Systemic Change; One State at a Time

In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court held in In re Gault, that all children have due process rights, most notably a constitutional right to be represented by counsel in delinquency court proceedings.   Disturbingly, numerous reports have revealed serious gaps indigent youth face in accessing competent legal services.  Created to combat these inequities, the Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network (JIDAN), as a part of Models for Change, is strategically tackling the entrenched systemic issues that impede diligent, competent representation for youth facing charges in delinquency courts.

The Foundation’s JIDAN initiative has the distinction of being the first nationally recognized juvenile justice reform effort to focus solely on juvenile indigent defense. According to Patricia Puritz, executive director of the National Juvenile Defender Center and facilitator of the Network, this peer-to-peer network fosters a collaborative, innovative learning environment that provides targeted strategies to help states improve juvenile indigent defense policy and practice.

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