Adolescent Development

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Annotated Bibliography: Decriminalizing Race Pride, Free Speech, & Adolescent Identity Development for Youth of Color

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This resource was created as part of the 2022 Racial Justice Training Series, co-hosted with the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic & Initiative. Advocates and experts gathered each month to discuss a chapter of Prof. Kristin Henning’s Book The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. Watch recordings of the monthly webinars and see other…

Annotated Bibliography: Defending Sexual Identity Development

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This resource was created as part of the 2022 Racial Justice Training Series, co-hosted with the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic & Initiative. Advocates and experts gathered each month to discuss a chapter of Prof. Kristin Henning’s Book The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. Watch recordings of the monthly webinars and see other…

Expanding the Idea and Practice of Gender Responsive Programs for Contra Costa Juvenile Probation

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Cause of Action: Fulfilling the Promises of Gault 

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Creates a case for holding states liable for abdicating their duty to ensure that all children have zealous representation.

Set Up to Fail: Youth Probation Conditions as a Driver of Incarceration

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Youth probation is the most common form of punishment for youth in the United States criminal legal system, with nearly a quarter of a million youth currently under supervision. Yet the role youth probation conditions play in the incarceration of youth has not been the focus of legal scholarship. Youth probation is a court-imposed intervention…

Annotated Bibliography: Decriminalizing Fashion & Culture

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This resource was created as part of the 2022 Racial Justice Training Series, co-hosted with the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic & Initiative. Advocates and experts gathered each month to discuss a chapter of Prof. Kristin Henning’s Book The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. Watch recordings of the monthly webinars and see other…

5 Fast Facts About the Importance of Caring Adults During our Adolescent Years

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From the introduction: “As we mature during adolescence, exercising more responsibility and personal agency, we become less physically dependent on adult caregivers. Yet parents and other caring adults remain as important to our healthy development as when we were younger. Below are five facts about the important role parents and other caring adults continue to…

State v. Thomas, 269 A. 3d 487 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 2022)

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Smart, Safe and Fair II: Creating Effective Systems to Work with Youth Involved in Violent Behavior

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Annotated Bibliography: Latinx Research

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This resource was created as part of the 2022 Racial Justice Training Series, co-hosted with the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic & Initiative. Advocates and experts gathered each month to discuss a chapter of Prof. Kristin Henning’s Book The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. Watch recordings of the monthly webinars and see other…

The Role of the Judge in Transforming Juvenile Probation: A Toolkit for Leadership

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From the introduction: “In the 2020 survey, an overwhelming majority of judges and probation administrators responded that efforts to promote probation practice changes should be grounded in research and be data-driven. In addition, most indicated that support for probation transformation would grow if reforms helped to address the challenge of improving racial/ethnic equity. More specifically,…

Interactive Guide: Using the Protective and Promotive Factors to Support Youth Well-Being

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This report, written by Youth Thrive (an initiative of the Center for the Study of Social Policy), is a research-informed framework on young people and well-being, designed to “support healthy development and improved life outcomes for youth ages 9-26 across the country.” This framework identifies five protective and promotive factors by incorporating positive youth development,…

Seeing What’s Underneath: A Resource for Understanding Behavior & Using Language in Juvenile Court

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The words we choose have a significant impact on the young people we serve. We may inadvertently use language laden with bias, disapproval, and negative judgment that can impact youths’ perceptions of themselves. Our language can also impact our own thinking and decision-making. In Part I of this guide, we hope to break down some…

Young, Black, and Wrongfully Charged: A Cumulative Disadvantage Framework

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From the abstract: “The term wrongful conviction typically refers to the conviction or adjudication of individuals who are factually innocent. Decades of research has rightfully focused on uncovering contributing factors of convictions of factually innocent people to inform policy and practice. However, in this paper we expand our conceptualization of wrongful conviction. Specifically, we propose…

Utah Toolkit for Representing Young People Charged with Sex Offenses

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From the introduction: “This project, which started in fall 2020, was initially intended to be significantly smaller than it turned out to be. Our coalition of authors intended to outline ways juvenile defenders could streamline their representation of youth charged with sex offenses. As the project gained momentum, this team of trial attorneys, social workers,…

Emerging Adults in Washington, DC’s Justice System

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From the conclusion: “Washington, DC has severe racial disparities in its justice-involved population. That should alarm local leadership and its residents. These disparities are rooted in policing practices that target communities of color, a lack of investment and opportunity in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods, and an overly punitive sentencing, parole, and corrections system. The current system…

DC’s Young Men Emerging Unit: A Story Reform and Lessons Learned from the Front Lines

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From the introduction: “This paper shares the story behind the successful launch of a specialized correctional unit for emerging adults by three of the people closest and most integral to the experience. It is offered as a guide for jurisdictions that are interested in developing similar programs. It is important to note that this report…

 Rethinking the Role of the Juvenile Justice System: Improving Youth’s School Attendance and Educational Outcomes

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From the introduction: “This brief summarizes key findings from an unprecedented research study conducted by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center on the impact of juvenile justice system involvement—particularly probation— on school attendance in South Carolina and challenges jurisdictions across the country—as well as the broader field—to reconsider whether system involvement is the…

 Grimm v. Gloucester Cty. Sch. Bd., 972 F.3d 586 (2020)

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Best Practices for Interviewing Youth About Police Trauma

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This resource is part of the Youth Defender Advocacy Program (YDAP) curriculum, a specialized trial advocacy training program for youth defenders.

Eliminate Confinement as a Response to Probation Violations

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From the introduction: “This brief presents the research case for eliminating the use of correctional confinement or detention in response to technical violations of juvenile probation.”

The Child Not the Charge: Transfer Laws Are Not Advancing Public Safety

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Protecting Youth from Themselves: The Overcriminalization of Consensual Sexual Behaviors Between Adolescents

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Representing the Whole Child: A Georgia Juvenile Defender Training Manual, 3rd Edition

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From the introduction: “This manual was originally created in 2005 to provide defense attorneys in juvenile court with a general guide to appropriate and zealous advocacy on behalf of young people in juvenile court. Since that time, much has changed in juvenile defense, both nationally and here in Georgia. Nationally, the U.S. Supreme Court has…

Brief of Amici Curiae Medical, Public Health, & Mental Health Organizations in Support of Gavin Grimm

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