A Juvenile Defender’s Guide to Conquering Collateral Consequences

Including arrests, dismissed petitions, and adjudications – can create long-term barriers to a young person’s employment, housing, and educational opportunities. Juvenile defenders can break down these barriers by discussing these consequences with their clients, mitigating potential harms, and building pathways to success. Understanding collateral consequences is critical to every plea or diversion negotiation, could impact…

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Addressing Bias in Delinquency and Child Welfare Systems

Developmental research shows that behaviors and characteristics common in adolescence are consistent across all races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups. These studies, controlling for race and ethnicity, found no significant difference in key features of adolescent development, such as impulsivity, sensation seeking, susceptibility to peer influence, and a limited ability to plan ahead or anticipate consequences.…

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Ensuring Young People Are Not Criminalized for Poverty: Bail, Fees, Fines, Costs, and Restitution in Juvenile Court

Juvenile courts across the country charge young people and their families bail, fines, fees, costs, and restitution without regard to children’s inability to pay. Such financial assessments are common in criminal courts, but in juvenile courts the consequences of such practices are even more detrimental, as they are exacerbated by children’s financial dependence. Children may…

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Juvenile Defender Disposition Practice Tool

Disposition determines the scope of the juvenile court system’s continued involvement in a child’s life and any infringements upon their liberty. While client-directed advocacy is important at all stages, it is critical at disposition, especially in cases when the client is facing a serious charge, has a significant court history, or is viewed as “high…

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