NCJ Number
244007
Date Published
December 2011
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This brief describes Pennsylvania's innovations designed to improve the provision and quality of juvenile indigent defense.
Abstract
In the area of basic training and support, the Defender Association of Philadelphia organized regular training for juvenile defenders throughout Pennsylvania. The focus is on issues to be addressed by juvenile defense attorneys from the first court appearance to sentencing and beyond. A "listserv" was created to link juvenile defenders and enable them to share concerns about placement facilities and seek advice on their cases. Innovations in the organization of juvenile defenders involved the creation of a non-profit corporation entitled, the Juvenile Defenders Association of Pennsylvania (JDAP). Its mission is to promote high professional standards for juvenile defense, to organize defenders and give them a united voice in policy and reform efforts, and to support professional development. The JDAP has been instrumental in organizing the development of recommendations for addressing funding and compensation for juvenile defense. Other recommendations have addressed professional standards and training, the rights of juvenile defendants, procedures for juvenile appeals, and the establishment of an independent organization to improve all of these efforts. The JDAP has also been instrumental in the development of standards for ethical duties and responsibilities of juvenile defense counsel. In another innovation, juvenile defenders, prosecutors, probation officers, and policy experts collaborated in creating a model protocol that streamlines the process for expunging juvenile records, so as to prevent collateral consequences from their juvenile case disposition. The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency has supported the Model Juvenile Units initiative, which allows participating counties to develop their own strategies for meeting the requirements for effective juvenile defense representation. These model counties then become examples for other jurisdictions of similar size and needs. A listing of 4 resources