Adolescent Development
This resource from Lambda Legal and the American Bar Association Children’s Rights Litigation Committee gives attorneys an overview on how to approach client interviewing and relationship building in a respectful and trauma-informed way. The page discusses the importance of identity for young people’s well being and on their legal cases. It also reviews basic interview…
This amicus brief from over 26 juvenile justice amici, including the Gault Center, , argues 1) the spirit and text of New York’s passage of landmark Raise the Age Law rejects the attitudes that underlay the Juvenile Offender Act of 1978, 2) New York’s Raise the Age Law and its legislative history demands a youth subject to adult prosecution only in “extremely rare and exceptional cases”, 3) before courts…
This memo from Fenton Communications Agency provides youth advocates with messaging strategies to respond to the D.C. Crimes Act and the Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act pending in Congress. The memo includes succinct responses to questions posed about public safety, youth crime, and transfer laws. The memo also provides suggested talking points on tone and relevant…
The Illinois appellate court reversed the trial court’s sentence of 14 years for an aggravated driving under the influence and reckless homicide conviction based on defense counsel’s failure to produce evidence related to youth-based factors in mitigation. The court offered the following language in support. “Because defendant was a minor when the crash occurred, the…
This article featured on the Frameworks Institute website offers research-based communication strategies for combating the manufactured controversy of a “crime emergency” caused by adolescents in Washington D.C. The article provides a topline nonpartisan message for responding to the relentless, toxic messaging around adolescent crime and outlines five framing recommendations for discussing the harmful policies being…
The Health and Reentry Project highlights promising Medicaid policy changes that promote continuity of care for young people returning to their communities following incarceration. The changes will support reentry for young people who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program by introducing them to services that would start 30 days before release…
From the introduction: “We know how to support transgender youth. Policies, practices, and care that accept and affirm young people’s gender identities can help transgender young people thrive. Research clearly shows that support and acceptance from parents, using young people’s chosen names, enacting inclusive policies and practices at schools and in the community, and providing…
The Oregon Court of Appeals reversed the adjudication finding of the trial court, holding that there was insufficient evidence to support a finding that the youth intended to damage playground equipment. The Court of Appeals offered the following language in support: “There is an appreciable difference between intentional action—that is, acting with a conscious objective…
From the introduction: “Youth justice advocates, including lawyers, organizers, and other youth and adult movement builders, want to replace the current damaging, discriminatory, and ineffective juvenile and criminal legal systems1 with better approaches. We envision approaches that support children, help them f lourish, and contribute to a safe, equitable, and healthy community. How do we…
Professor Kris Henning and Rebba Omer authored a law review article on decriminalizing normal adolescent behaviors, race, and disabilities. This article maps a way forward for all system actors in the juvenile legal system to mitigate and buffer against the harms of juvenile legal system involvement for youth with disabilities. Specifically, this article outlines youth…
This resource is part of the Youth Defender Advocacy Program (YDAP) curriculum, a specialized trial advocacy training program for youth defenders.
The Supreme Court of Montana reversed a trial court’s decision denying a sentence reduction for a young adult who was convicted of a homicide offense when he was 16 years old. Noting that transferring a youth to adult court cannot mean that the state “forget[s] about his age,” the Court relies on the juvenile court…
From the conclusion: “The years between 16 and 25 are an important window to build pathways toward a thriving adulthood. By later adolescence, we have the cognitive abilities and social understanding to connect with others and navigate the world in new ways. We have new agency to pursue our own goals and new responsibilities that…
Following the 20th anniversary of the Roper v. Simmons decision that ruled the death penalty unconstitutional for youth under the age of 18, the Death Penalty Information Center released a report on the latest science of adolescent brain development and evolving societal standards that recognize the need for heightened legal protections for 18- to 20-year-olds.…
