Juvenile Defense Resources

Pretrial Issues

• • Competence
  • • Sample Motion to Oppose Psychological Evaluation
    • Sample Ex Parte Motion for Appointment of Psychological Expert
  • Conditions of Confinement
    • Juvenile Facilities Checklist for Defenders: Advocating for the Safety and Well-Being of Young People
  • Discovery
  • • Sample Pre-Trial Discovery Letter
    • Sample Motion for Discovery Sanctions
    • Sample Motion to Dismiss for Failure to Preserve Evidence
    • Sample Motion to Compel Discovery
    • Sample Formal Discovery Letter for Drug Cases
    • Sample Initial Discovery Request for Drug Cases

Trial

• • Judgment of Acquittal/Directed Verdict
    • Sample Motion for Judgment of Acquittal

Disposition/Post-Disposition

• • Disposition
    • Juvenile Defender Disposition Practice Tool
      • Probation
      • • The Cost of Juvenile Probation: A Critical Look into the Harms of Juvenile Supervision Fees
        • Promoting Positive Development: The Critical Need to Reform Youth Probation Orders (Issue Brief)
      •  Commitment
        • A Right to Liberty: Resources for Challenging the Detention of Children

• • • Appeals
      • Increasing Juvenile Appeals Fact Sheet
    • Post-Disposition
      • Juvenile Defender Post-Disposition Practice Tool
    •  Re-Entry
      • A Juvenile Defender’s Guide to Conquering Collateral Consequences

General Issues

• • Child & Adolescent Development
    • Applying Principles of Adolescent Development in Delinquency Proceedings (Bench Card)
  • Family & Third-Party Engagement
    • 10 Tips for Building Effective Youth-Family-Defender Partnerships
    • Juvenile Defense Attorneys and Family Engagement
  • Fines, Fees, Restitution
    • Ensuring Young People Are Not Criminalized for Poverty (Bench Card)
  •  Immigration
    • Juvenile Defender’s Guide to Immigration Issues in Juvenile Proceedings

• • Juvenile Sex Offenses
    • Sample Voir Dire of Youth Witness
    • Sample Motion to Voir Dire Youth Witness and Exclude Testimony

• • Indigence
    • The Fragmented State of Juvenile Indigent Defense Fact Sheet
    • SMART on Juvenile Indigent Defense Fact Sheet
  • Mental Health Issues
    • What Juvenile Defenders Should Know About the DSM-5 (Resource Brief)
  • Racial & Ethnic Disparities
    • Addressing Bias in Delinquency and Child Welfare Systems (Bench Card)
  • Role of Counsel/Scope of Representation
    • Juvenile Defense Self-Assessment Tool
    • National Juvenile Defense Standards
    • Role of Juvenile Defense Counsel in Delinquency Court
    • Ten Core Principles For Providing Quality Delinquency Representation Through Public Defense Delivery Systems
  • Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, & Gender Expression
    • Access to Juvenile Justice Irrespective of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE) (Bench Card)
    • Juvenile Facilities Checklist for Defenders: Advocating for the Safety and Well-Being of Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, and Intersex Young People
  •  Trauma
    • Tips on Youth Trauma for Juvenile Defenders
    • Trauma-Informed Legal Advocacy: A Resource for Juvenile Defense Attorneys