NJDC applauds the Federal Government’s filing (on March 13, 2015) of a landmark Statement of Interest (SOI) in an ongoing Georgia case that takes a strong stance on the right to effective access to counsel for juveniles and the need for procedural safeguards against an uninformed waiver of that right. In the SOI filed in…
Topic Archive: Waiver of Counsel
New York Resources
Juvenile Delinquency: Legal Updates and Overview Brief Outline of JD Proceedings An overview of Juvenile Delinquency Proceedings JD Overview for Defenders In-depth analysis of stages of JD proceedings and explication of the role of the attorney representing the child Case Checklist A handy checklist to prepare a delinquency case Case Updates (Jan. 2013 – mid-…
People v. Lessie
The NJDC co-authored an amicus brief before the California Supreme Court with the Los Angeles Public Defender’s Office on the issue of whether a child’s request for a parent is a per se invocation of his Fifth Amendment rights. In this case, Lessie, the 16-year-old defendant, was taken into police custody and interrogated. Prior to…
In re P.M.P.
NJDC co-authored an amicus brief with the Urban Legal Clinic at Rutgers Law School that relied on the latest adolescent development research to argue that the New Jersey Supreme Court should extend juveniles additional protection at interrogation, including prohibiting questioning without counsel, and allow the filing of a delinquency complaint to trigger a juvenile’s right to…
National Juvenile Defense Standards
The National Juvenile Defense Standards represent a comprehensive understanding of the role and duties of the juvenile defender in the 21st century juvenile court system, and seek to strengthen and guide the ethical and professional performance of the juvenile defense attorney. The Standards present a national approach to systematizing zealous, competent and diligent defense practice in juvenile court…
Juvenile Waiver of Counsel
Disturbingly large numbers of youth waive their right to counsel without a full understanding of the long and short term consequences of this action. As Standard 10.4 of the National Juvenile Defense Standards points out, “[t]he problem with juvenile waiver of counsel is clear: children require the advice and assistance of counsel to make decisions with…
Colorado Assessment
Colorado: An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Juvenile Delinquency Proceedings (Winter 2012) Summaries and Press Releases: NJDC & Colorado Juvenile Defender Center Press Release Legislative Follow-Up: Following NJDC’s Assessment, the State Legislature established a legislative study committee to investigate issues raised in the assessment. Following the Interim Committee’s…
State Assessments
A cornerstone of the National Juvenile Defender Center’s work is to understand how juvenile defense is delivered around the country and to support excellence in the provision of those services. As part of that work, NJDC conducts state-specific assessments of youth access to, and the quality of, juvenile defense counsel when they come in contact…