Models for Change Innovation Brief: Addressing the Legal Needs of Youth After Disposition
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 lengthy period of the juvenile court process, known as post-disposition, may raise numerous complex legal issues that require the guiding hand of counsel to steer youth toward successful outcomes and away from deeper court involvement. Juvenile defenders involved in the Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network (JIDAN), developed a number of successful mechanisms to afford post-dispositional representation to young people who are on probation or are incarcerated.
