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Juvenile indigent defense

Research and tools related to access to and quality of legal counsel for all youth involved with the justice system. 

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All Juvenile indigent defense publications

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Publication cover Honoring Gault: Ensuring Access to Counsel in Delinquency Proceedings
Feb 2, 2018, National Juvenile Defender Center and National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
In partnership with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, we released “Honoring Gault: Ensuring Access to Counsel in Delinquency Proceedings,” an information card to…
Publication cover New Jersey Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist
Dec 15, 2015, National Juvenile Defender Center
The purpose of the New Jersey Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist is to provide attorneys, judges, and other juvenile justice professionals, in addition to youth and their families, with the…
Publication cover The Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist
Dec 15, 2015, Pennsylvania DMC Youth-Law Enforcement Corporation
This Checklist was developed with assistance from the MacArthur Foundation Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network to help to explain many of the consequences of being arrested as a juvenile in…
Publication cover Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist (Spanish)
Dec 15, 2015, Pennsylvania DMC Youth-Law Enforcement Corporation
This Checklist was developed with assistance from the MacArthur Foundation Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network to help to explain many of the consequences of being arrested as a juvenile in…
Publication cover NJDC Summaries: DOJ Actions in Protecting System-Involved Youth
Dec 15, 2015, National Juvenile Defender Center
NJDC's summaries provide key highlights of prominent Department of Justice actions in protecting the rights of youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The summaries cover DOJ's Statement of…
Publication cover Campaign Against Indiscriminate Juvenile Shackling Toolkit
Dec 11, 2015, National Juvenile Defender Center
The Campaign Against Indiscriminate Juvenile Shackling (CAIJS), created in August 2014, works across the country to support advocates in their efforts to amend laws, court rules, policies and…
Publication cover Indefensible: The Lack of Juvenile Defense Data
Jul 23, 2015, Andrew Wachter, Research Associate, NCJJ
NCJJ has released a new StateScan publication that summarizes the results from a review of publicly available data that describe the application of juvenile defense across the country. This StateScan…
Publication cover Issue Brief: Raising the Bar with Comprehensive Juvenile Indigent Defense Contracts
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
Issue Briefs
Publication cover Issue Brief: Protecting Rights, Promiting Positive Outcomes: Post-Disposition Access to Counsel
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
Issue Briefs
Publication cover Issue Brief: Juvenile Defense Standards: A Framework for the Specialist Representation of Youth
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
Issue Briefs
Publication cover Issue Brief: Juvenile Defense Law School Clinics
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
Issue Briefs
Publication cover Issue Brief: Ending the Indiscriminate Shackling of Youth
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
Issue Briefs
Publication cover Issue Brief: Appeals: A Critical Check on the Juvenile Delinquency System
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
Issue Briefs
Publication cover Unchain the Children: Policy Opportunities to End the Shackling of Youth in Court
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Justice Network
Children in far too many states are forced to appear in court shackled--often wearing handcuffs, leg irons, and belly chains connecting ankle and hand restraints. This policy update reviews…
Publication cover Resource Brief: What Juvenile Defenders Should Know about the DSM-5
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
What Juvenile Defenders should know abiut tje DSM-5
Publication cover What Juvenile Defenders should Know About the DSM-5
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
Standards
Publication cover National Juvenile Defender Center: FAQs
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
NJDC
Publication cover Juvenile Defense Attorneys and Family Engagement: Same Team, Different Roles
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
Same Team, Different Rules
Publication cover Juvenile Defender Self-Assessment Tool for Best Practices in Detention Advocacy
Dec 10, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
This tool is designed to assist juvenile defenders in assessing the quality of their detention advocacy. Defenders should check the box next to each step that they regularly take on behalf of a…
Publication cover Issue Brief: Using Developmentally Appropriate Language to Communicate with Court-Involved Youth
Dec 8, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
Issue Briefs
Publication cover Issue Brief: Specialist Training: Advancing the Ethical and Professional Representation of Youth
Dec 8, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
Issue Briefs
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Special Counsel: Enhancing Juvenile Indigent Defense in Washington State
Dec 8, 2014, Center for Children & Youth Justice
When addressing the issue of indigent defense for juvenile respondents in Washington State, an initial reaction was that the cost for needed improvements would be formidable. Reducing caseloads and…
Publication cover Juvenile Defense Attorneys and Family Engagement: Same Team, Different Roles
Aug 5, 2014, National Juvenile Defender Center
When a child gets arrested, the entire family is implicated and some family members are even brought into the juvenile court process along with that child. For families, this can be a difficult and…
Publication cover 2013 Washington State Targeted Areas of Improvement & Strategic Opportunity for Technical Assistance Data Inventory
Apr 1, 2014, Andrew Wachter, Gene Siegel, Hunter Hurst
The 2013 Washington Targeted Areas of Improvement Report is the final in a series of data inventory reports that document Washington Models for Change progress and outcomes. This Endpoints Edition…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Addressing the Legal Needs of Youth After Disposition
Dec 12, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
In most instances, legal representation for a youth ends at disposition, leaving youth on their own to navigate continuing legal obligations while on probation and even while incarcerated. This often…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Model Juvenile Court Colloquies
Dec 12, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
Despite the rehabilitative nature we ascribe to the juvenile justice system, research indicates that when young people are in court, surrounded by authority figures, they are often frightened or…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Early Appointment of Counsel
Dec 12, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
The timing of the appointment of counsel can have as much of an impact on the outcome of a case as whether an attorney is appointed at all. Having a qualified juvenile defender present, at the…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Judicial Colloquies: Communicating with Kids in Court
Dec 12, 2013, Rosa Peralta and George Yeannakis
Juvenile offenders are customarily required to comply with a lengthy list of rules imposed by a judge or juvenile probation counselor. Failures to comply, even those of a technical nature that result…
Publication cover The Affordable Care Act and Its Effects on Juvenile Defense
Dec 10, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
Fact Sheets
Publication cover Ten Reasons to Ask Clients About Citizenship
Dec 10, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
Fact Sheets
Publication cover Juvenile Defense Manager-Supervisor Tool for Best Practices in Detention Advocacy
Dec 10, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
Fact Sheets
Publication cover Frequently Asked Questions for Juvenile Defenders - PREA
Dec 10, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
Fact Sheets
Publication cover Washington Know Your Rights - Graphic Guide
Dec 1, 2013, TeamChild; Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership; Children and Family Justice Center, Northwestern University S
Publication cover Juvenile Justice GPS StateScan: Juvenile Competency Procedures
Dec 1, 2013, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Publication cover Checklist - Consequences of Juvenile Adjudications in Massachusetts
Nov 14, 2013, Committee for Public Services-Youth Advocacy Division
This checklist is for juvenile defenders to use when advising their clients. Listed are some of the common consequences juveniles face when adjudicated.
Publication cover When Three's a Crowd: How Families Can Contribute to their Child's Defense
Jun 17, 2013, National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)
How can parents help when their child is in trouble with the law? What do juvenile defenders need to know about how to protect the child's interest when it comes to including parents in the…
Publication cover The Florida Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist
May 21, 2013, Juvenile Justice Center
The purpose of the Florida Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist is to provide attorneys, judges, and other juvenile justice professionals with the most current information available on the…
Publication cover Florida New Juvenile Defender Attorney Manual
May 21, 2013, Juvenile Justice Center
The 1820s and 1830s saw the first establishment of special institutions for children in the United States. These “Houses of Refuge” accepted children for a variety of reasons, including…
Publication cover Florida Guidelines of Practice
May 21, 2013, Juvenile Justice Center
All children charged with delinquent acts have a constitutional right to legal representation. In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1, 30-31, 37 (1967), State v. T.G., 800 So.2d 204, 210 (Fla. 2001). These…
Publication cover Six Policy Priorities for Juvenile Defense: Why Juvenile Defense Doesn't End in the Courtroom
May 1, 2013, National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)
Juvenile defenders can and should play a vital role in policy and justice system reform -- and advocates can partner with them to accomplish significant changes that affect youth in the court room…
Publication cover JIDAN Journal
Dec 19, 2012, NJDC
The JIDAN Journal reports on efforts by the Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network (JIDAN) to improve juvenile indigent defense practice. JIDAN is a project of the John D. and Catherine T.…
Publication cover The Harmful Use of Isolation in Juvenile Facilities: The Need for Post-Disposition Representation
Dec 1, 2012, Washington University Journal of Law & Policy; Models for Change Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Mental Health Needs and Due Process Rights: Finding the Balance
Nov 30, 2012, Autumn Dickman, Juvenile Law Center
Models for Change sites have launched a variety of initiatives to identify and treat justice involved youths with mental health and substance abuse problems. They include screening and assessment…
Publication cover Seven Ways to Improve Juvenile Indigent Defense
Nov 5, 2012, National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)
In recent years, a great deal of work has been undertaken across the country to improve juvenile indigent defense. This policy update from the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) reviews key…
Publication cover Competency to Stand Trial in Juvenile Court: Recommendations for Policymakers
Nov 1, 2012, National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)
How do courts determine when a youth is competent to stand trial? What do they do if a youth is found "incompetent" for court proceedings? Most states lack statutory guidance to answer these…
Publication cover Using Language in Court That Youth Can Understand: the Washington Judicial Colloquies
Oct 31, 2012, TeamChild
When youth end up in court, they are often confused and uncertain about the purpose of the proceedings, and what's expected of them when they leave. Why? Because much of the language used there by…
Publication cover Guidelines for State Courts Serving Limited English Proficient (LEP) Youth and Family Members-Short Fact Sheet
May 2, 2012, Dana Shoenberg
Good communication and cultural understanding are prerequisites to a fair, efficient, and effective justice system. Navigating the juvenile justice system is often difficult for youth and their…
Publication cover LGBT Youth in Juvenile Court: Practice Tips for Juvenile Defenders
Dec 1, 2011, Equity Project
Publication cover EdLaw Project: Top Ten Education Questions to Ask Your Client at Arraignment
Nov 10, 2011, Rey Cheatham Banks
A Massachusetts checklist for arraignment issues in juvenile court.
Publication cover JIDAN Strategic Innovations by State
Nov 10, 2011, Rey Cheatham Banks
A description of the states strategic innovations work.
Publication cover Illinois Juvenile Defender Practice Notebook
Nov 10, 2011, Rey Cheatham Banks
The Illinois Juvenile Defender Practice Notebook assists defenders who practice in one of the most rewarding and yet most challenging areas of law – juvenile defense.
Publication cover Youth Advocacy Department, Annotated Bibliography: What the Literature Says About Juvenile Sex Offenders
Nov 10, 2011, Rey Cheatham Banks
The following articles, fact sheets, and studies have been compiled to assist attorneys and individuals working on behalf of youth charged with sexual offending. The information contained in these…
Publication cover Protocol for Competence in California Juvenile Justice Proceedings
Nov 10, 2011, Rey Cheatham Banks
This protocol is intended as a tool for the development of such procedures in cases where competence may be an issue. It incorporates Supreme Court and California case law, and existing statutory…
Publication cover Florida Guidelines for Attorneys who Represent Children in Delinquency Proceedings
Nov 9, 2011, Rob Mason
These guidelines address the specific roles and responsibilities of an attorney appointed or retained to defend a child in a delinquency case. They are intended to serve as a guide for an…
Publication cover Washington Defender Association, Beyond Juvenile Court: Long-Term Impact of a Juvenile Record
Nov 9, 2011, www.defensenet.org, WDA@defensenet.org
The information in this booklet is intended for use by public defense attorneys, their juvenile clients, and their clients’ parents in Washington State. It is not comprehensive. It is meant as…
Publication cover Youth Advocacy Department, Courtroom Practice Guide to Bail, MGLc.276 s58
Nov 9, 2011, Rey Cheatham Banks
A Massachusetts guide for bail proceedings in juvenile court.
Publication cover Your Guide to the Juvenile Justice System in Illinois
Nov 9, 2011, Marjorie Moss
An illustrated guide for youth in contact with the juvenile justice system in Illinois.
Publication cover Summary of Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist
Nov 9, 2011, Rhonda McKitten
A synopsis of the essential collateral consequences of a juvenile adjudication in a large, easy to read poster format.
Publication cover Ten Core Principles: For Providing Quality Delinquency Representation Through Public Defense Delivery System
Nov 9, 2011, Rey Cheatham Banks
NJDC's Ten Core Principles for Providing Quality Delinquency Representation through Public Defense Delivery Systems provide criteria by which a public defense delivery system may fully implement the…
Publication cover The Pennsylvania Juvenile Defense Notebook
Oct 3, 2011, PA JIDAN Team
The Pennsylvania Juvenile Defense Notebook is a comprehensive training tool for both new and experienced attorneys who defend children accused of delinquent offenses. The Notebook includes caselaw,…
Publication cover Performance Guidelines For Quality and Effective Juvenile Delinquency Representation
May 6, 2011, Rey Cheatham Banks
The Guidelines serve as a training and development tool for new attorneys who receive delinquency representation assignments. They also reaffirm for experienced counsel the considerations necessary…
Publication cover Collateral Consequences of Juvenile Delinquency Proceedings in California
May 1, 2011, Sue Burrell and Rourke F. Stacy
A handbook for juvenile law professionals on the consequences of juvenile system involvement and adjudication.
Publication cover Guidelines for State Courts Serving Limited English Proficient (LEP) Youth and Family Members-Long Fact Sheet
Mar 11, 2011, Dana Shoenberg
Good communication and cultural understanding are prerequisites to a fair, efficient, and effective justice system. Navigating the juvenile justice system is often difficult for youth and their…
Publication cover JIDAN (Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network) Journal
Dec 21, 2010, Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network
2010 has been an eventful year for the Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network. The eight JIDAN teams have generated an impressive body of work. We've celebrated births (Anne Lee from Washington…
Publication cover JIDAN Journal
Sep 14, 2010, Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network
The JIDAN Journal reports on efforts by the Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network (JIDAN) to improve juvenile indigent defense practice. JIDAN is a project of the John D. and Catherine T.…
Publication cover Juvenile Justice Update
Aug 6, 2010, H. Ted Rubin
The Legal Defense of Juveniles: Struggling But Pushing Forward
Publication cover Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist
May 24, 2010, This publication was cooperative effort on the part of numerous Models for Change partners across Pennsylvania. A complete list of contributing authors is available on the last page of the publication.
The purpose of the Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist is to provide attorneys, judges and other juvenile justice professionals with the most up to date information available on…
Publication cover Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist
May 24, 2010, This poster was made possible through the collaborative work of many Models for Change partners across Pennsylvania. Please see the Checklist publication for a complete list of contributing authors.
The purpose of the Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist is to provide attorneys, judges and other juvenile justice professionals with the most up to date information available on…
Publication cover Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice Report on Luzerne County
May 1, 2010, Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice
The Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice was created in 2009 by an act of the General Assembly with the support of the Governor and the Supreme Court. Its purpose was to investigate…
Publication cover The Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist
May 1, 2010, Rhonda McKitten
The purpose of the Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist (Checklist) is to provide attorneys, judges and other juvenile justice professionals with the most current information…
Publication cover The Cost of Justice: How Low-Income Youth Continue To Pay the Price of Failing Indigent Defense Systems
Apr 7, 2010, Katayoon Majd and Patricia Puritz
From the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy, Volume XVI, Symposium Issue 2009: No right is more fundamental for youth in delinquency cases than the right to counsel. In 1967, the United…
Publication cover JIDAN Journal - March 2010
Mar 17, 2010, Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network
Welcome to the March edition of the JIDAN Journal. Since our last edition, the JIDAN teams have been busy implementing SIG projects and sharing strategies and practices.
Publication cover Juvenile Delinquency: The Case for Specialty Training
Jan 20, 2010, Sue Burrell
Each year, more than 100,000 young people in California face juvenile court delinquency petitions alleging violations of the law - more than in any other state. Most are represented by an attorney -…
Publication cover JIDAN Journal - December 2009
Dec 23, 2009, Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network
Thanks to all JIDAN team members who attended the 13th Annual Juvenile Defender Leadership Summit in Denver. JIDAN played a prominent role in this year's summit activities as we were able to share…
Publication cover Florida Supreme Court Drastically Limits Shackling - In Re: Amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure
Dec 17, 2009, Provided by National Juvenile Defender Center
Attached is the Florida Supreme Court's opinion authorizing changes to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure. The most important change is the Court's finding that indiscriminate shackling of…
Publication cover Hidden Injustice- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth in Juvenile Courts
Oct 16, 2009, Katayoon Majd, Jody Marksamer and Carolyn Reyes
Hidden Injustice is the first comprehensive report to examine the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in juvenile courts nationwide. LGBT youth comprise a significant…
Publication cover Charged With a Crime Brochure
May 1, 2009, Southern Juvenile Defender Center and Barry University
If you've been charged with a crime, don't go it alone. Talk to a lawyer. If you don't, you might regret it for the rest of your life.
Publication cover In the Interest of P.M.P.
Apr 17, 2009, RUTGERS URBAN LEGAL CLINIC, RUTGERS SCHOOL OF LAW—NEWARK, NATIONAL JUVENILE DEFENDER CENTER, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF NEW JERSEY, CHILDREN’S JUSTICE CENTER, RUTGERS SCHOOL OF LAW—CAMDEN, NORTHEAST JUVENILE DEFENDER CENTER
This amicus brief, filed by the Rutgers Urban Legal Clinic, the National Juvenile Defender Center, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, the Rutgers School of Law's Children's Justice…
Publication cover NEW HOPE FOUND IN PRACTICE STANDARDS
Jan 5, 2009, Laura Cohen
Since Gault, juvenile justice reform projects--and there have been many-- largely have ignored the question of effective assistance of counsel. The perfect storm of the Gault anniversary and the…
Publication cover Role of Juvenile Defense Counsel in Delinquency Court
Jan 1, 2009, National Juvenile Defender Center
This policy paper describes the critical and specialized role of the juvenile defender and reflects best practices as defined by the field—front-line defenders, social workers, academics, and…
Publication cover Adolescent Legal Competence in Court
Jan 1, 2009, MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice
This brief details findings from the first comprehensive assessment of juvenile capacities to participate in criminal proceedings using measures of both trial-related abilities an developmental…
Publication cover The Illinois Juvenile Defender Practice Notebook
Dec 1, 2008, Children and Family Justice National Juvenile Defender Center and Center of the Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern School of Law
Note, the download link above provides a cover image—at this time the Notebook is only available to registered users of the Illinois Juvenile Defender Resource Institute website. In December…
Publication cover Illinois Side by Side Assessment Recommendations
Oct 2, 2008, National Juvenile Detention Center
This document summarizes issues, solutions and recommendation identified in the Illinois assessment.
Publication cover Washington Side by Side Assessment Recommendations
Oct 2, 2008, National Juvenile Defender Center
This document summarizes issues, solutions and recommendations identified in the WA Assessment.
Publication cover Illinois: An Assessment of Access to Counsel & Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings
Sep 13, 2007, Children and Family Justice Center, Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern University School of Law and The National Juvenile Defender Center
Forty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision: In In re Gault, the Court ruled that children accused of delinquent acts are entitled to the protections of due process of law,…
Publication cover Keystones for Reform: Promising Juvenile Justice Policies and Practices in Pennsylvania
Oct 12, 2005, Youth Law Center, Neelum Aryna, Eric Lotke, Liz Ryan, Marc Schindler, Dana Shoenberg, Mark Soler
The first state report for the Models for Change initiative, this report describes promising juvenile justice policies and practices in Pennsylvania that provide a solid base for further reform…
Publication cover Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings in Pennsylvania
Oct 1, 2003, Juvenile Law Center and American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center
This report is an assessment of children’s access to counsel and the quality of representation they receive in Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system. The report's findings are based on…
Publication cover Understanding Adolescents: A Juvenile Court Training Curriculum
Jun 1, 2000, Youth Law Center, Juvenile Law Center, American Bar Association
Understanding Adolescents: A Juvenile Court Training Curriculum, training materials for juvenile justice professionals, was funded by the MacArthur Foundation as a joint project of the Youth Law…
Supported by

Models for Change was a juvenile justice systems reform initiative supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, website operated by Justice Policy Institute.

MacArthur