Six Policy Priorities for Juvenile Defense: Why Juvenile Defense Doesn’t End in the Courtroom (2013)

ABSTRACT & CITATION

This is a fact sheet designed for policy advocates. It complements the National Juvenile Defender Center’s National Juvenile Defense Standards, which were recently promulgated best practices for juvenile defense attorneys. This fact sheet  proposes six areas for reform where advocates should partner with defenders. It urges that they work together to: (1) Ensure Early Access to Counsel; (2) Establish a Presumption of Indigence for All Youth; (3) Prevent Invalid Waiver of Counsel; (4) Challenge Disparate Treatment and Discrimination; (5) Ensure Resources and  Manageable Caseloads for Juvenile Defenders; and (6) Identify and Eliminate Harmful Conditions of Confinement. There are also brief suggestions for how advocates may connect with defenders and how they can implement the standards throught court rules, legislation, etc.

National Juvenile Justice Network. (2013). Six Policy Priorities for Juvenile Defense: Why Juvenile Defense Doesn’t End in the Courtroom. Washington, DC: National Juvenile Justice Network.