The Call for a Statewide Youth Defense System
Effective youth defense is rooted in effective youth defense systems. The Gault Center partners with states to conduct statewide assessments of youth defense delivery systems-examining the systemic and institutional components necessary to ensure that all young people receive high-quality legal representation.
The Gault Center’s work in Kansas is focused on establishing a statewide system for the provision of youth defense services. In 2020, the Gault Center released a statewide assessment of access to and quality of youth defense in Kansas and has since grown a collaborative effort to support the development of a coordinated youth defense system with specialized and well-trained youth defenders.
This page highlights the ongoing journey—from assessment to implementation—including our strategy, partnerships, and on-the-ground support for decision-makers, culminating in the “Defending Futures” campaign to build a strong, statewide system for youth defense.
Our Work in Kansas
In 2018, the Gault Center (then known as the National Juvenile Defender Center) was invited by the Kansas Supreme Court to conduct a statewide assessment of Kansas’ youth defense delivery system.
After conducting more than 100 interviews with judges, defenders, prosecutors, probation officers, and impacted youth and families and hundreds of hours of court observation, statutory analysis, and document review, the Gault Center released its Kansas assessment report in 2020.
The Kansas assessment found that while every young person has a lawyer, “the quality of defense young people receive far too often does not fulfill constitutional obligations, meet national standards, or satisfy professional responsibility requirements.”
The Kansas assessment found that there were many structural barriers that prevented youth defenders from being able to effectively represent their youthful clients.
After the assessment report was released, the Gault Center was invited to work with a range of court-system professionals to grow a youth defense community and system.
The Gault Center has been working directly with Kansas decision-makers, court personnel, defenders, and system-impacted young people to actualize a specialized, statewide system of youth defense in Kansas.
In 2025, the Gault Center Released: Five Years Later, an Update on Youth Defense in Kansas, providing an update on youth defense in Kansas through the experiences and perspectives of young people in Kansas.
This report elevates the urgent need to create a youth defense delivery system in Kansas.
The Gault Center and Progeny have also been working with a range of system professionals, leaders, and decision-makers across the state of Kansas to provide education on importance of a statewide youth defense delivery system.
In September 2025, we convened over 30 decision-makers to brainstorm avenues to create a statewide youth defense system. Since that time, the Board of Indigent Defense System (BIDS) has shared that they are excited to work towards building youth defense specialization in their practice and is exploring avenues to make that possible.
Our Strategy
The Gault Center is partnering with leaders in Kansas to support the creation of a statewide youth defense system. Our work is focused on three key areas:
- Training and Community Building
- Building a Statewide Youth Defense Workgroup
- Creation of Youth Defense Standards
Training and Community Building
The Gault Center partners with nationally recognized and YDAP certified trainers to provide cutting-edge training to the Kansas Youth Defense Community. The Gault Center has provided training to hundreds of attorneys, providing critical resources, materials, and information to individuals representing young people in Kansas.
Additionally, the Gault Center partnered with the Kansas Association for Criminal Defense lawyers to create a “Youth Defense Hub” on their website. The Hub is a members-only password-protected online space that offers an extensive range of legal practice aids, litigation resources, and reference aids for youth defenders including access to the youth-defense-specific listserv, a motions bank, Kansas-specific local resources, and announcements about upcoming training opportunities. The Youth Defense Hub is live on the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers website.
Launching a Statewide Youth Defense Workgroup
The Gault Center launched the Statewide Youth Defense System Workgroup and hosted two meetings in 2025, one virtually and one in-person.
The Statewide Youth Defense System Workgroup was built in collaboration with decision-makers and youth defense experts across the state to brainstorm avenues to create a youth defense system.
Creation of Youth Defense Standards
These standards create scaffolding for Kansas youth defenders as they navigate the complexities of representing children. The Standards include recommendations on best practices, ethical responsibilities of Kansas youth defenders, commentary, caselaw, resources, and practice tips.
The Gault Center, along with other individuals in Kansas, has held preliminary meetings with decision-makers to discuss the need and benefit of youth defense standards. Gault Center staff will continue to work with the Kansas Supreme Court, judges, youth defenders, and other decision-makers on adoption and implementation of the standards.
Youth Defense in Kansas: Statewide Assessment to Defending Futures
2020
Statewide Assessment released
2022
Gault Center begins working with Defenders and Partners to build statewide youth defense system
2024
First Youth Justice Summit in Lawrence, Kansas
2025
Statewide Workgroup created to support a statewide youth defense system
2025
Five Years Later Report released in partnership with Progeny
2026
Defending Futures: Youth Defense for ALL in Kansas Coalition- to support a statewide youth defense system
Our Partners
We are incredibly grateful to be in partnership with Progeny through this work. Progeny is a program of Destination Innovation and includes boldly resilient youth leaders who have been directly impacted by the legal system. Because young people facing legal challenges routinely feel unheard and underserved by the very systems meant to protect their rights, Progeny and the Gault Center have partnered to provide youth perspectives and training to Kansas decision-makers.
Progeny and the Gault Center created the “Defending Futures: Youth Defense for ALL in Kansas” coalition to support and elevate BIDS’ effort to create a statewide youth defense system, and provide both a national and youth-centered perspective on the importance of youth defense specialization.
Defending Futures: Youth Defense for ALL in Kansas
Coalition to Support Building a Youth Defense System in Kansas
Kansas Youth Defense in the News
Kansas youth defense system needs investment | Opinion (The Topeka Capital Journal)
Please see the op-ed written by Senior Youth Defense Counsel Sarah Johnson, celebrating March 18 as Kansas Public Defense Day, and encouraging the State of Kansas to fund a robust, statewide youth defense system.
“Public Defense Day is a critical moment to elevate the full scope of the conversation around the fundamental right to counsel by naming how it includes young people. . . . Now is the moment to fulfill the promises of Gideon and Gault by building a robust, statewide youth defense system. The future of Kansas’ youth and, inherently, the future of this state compel decisive investment and unwavering commitment. We encourage Kansas to fulfill the principles of both Gault and Gideon by ensuring every child is afforded the defense — and the future — that the people of Kansas deserve.”
