Enhancements for Juvenile Defense Category 2: Juvenile Defense Training and Technical Assistance

The Enhancements for Juvenile Defense program supports states and localities in developing and implementing tools and strategies to ensure that youth involved with the juvenile justice system have fair and equal access to high-quality legal representation and to resources that address the collateral consequences of justice system involvement. Category 2 under this program supports a national training and technical assistance (TTA) provider to work with state and local juvenile defense delivery systems to improve juvenile defense delivery systems and juvenile defense practice for public and appointed juvenile defenders.

The National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) will provide skilled and experienced technical assistance to OJJDP's state and/or local grantees; provide specialized, high-quality, cutting edge training to juvenile defense attorneys from across the country; develop and distribute tools and resources to improve juvenile defense practice; and continue to build and maintain an online clearinghouse of information about juvenile defense and children’s constitutional rights. To provide intensive TTA to OJJDP’s state and/or local grantees, NJDC will assign staff to liaison with each grantee, work with each grantee to develop a written TTA plan, and engage with each grantee throughout the duration of the grant period. To meet the other objectives of this project, NJDC will use and expand upon its resources and expertise to improve the delivery of high-quality, specialized legal defense for youth; address juvenile defenders’ training needs; facilitate networking and develop communities of practice across the juvenile defense field; develop tools and resources to improve defense delivery systems, advance best practices, and enhance procedural justice; and maintain a national clearinghouse of juvenile defense resources. CA/NCF

The Enhancements for Juvenile Defense program supports states and localities in developing and implementing tools and strategies to ensure that youth involved with the juvenile justice system have fair and equal access to high-quality legal representation and to resources that address the collateral consequences of justice system involvement. Category 2 under this program supports a national training and technical assistance (TTA) provider to work with state and local juvenile defense delivery systems to improve juvenile defense delivery systems and juvenile defense practice for public and appointed juvenile defenders.

The National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) will provide skilled and experienced technical assistance to OJJDP's state and/or local grantees; provide specialized, high-quality, cutting edge training to juvenile defense attorneys from across the country; develop and distribute tools and resources to improve juvenile defense practice; and continue to build and maintain an online clearinghouse of information about juvenile defense and children’s constitutional rights. To provide intensive TTA to OJJDP’s state and/or local grantees, NJDC will assign staff to liaison with each grantee, work with each grantee to develop a written TTA plan, and engage with each grantee throughout the duration of the grant period. To meet the other objectives of this project, NJDC will use and expand upon its resources and expertise to improve the delivery of high-quality, specialized legal defense for youth; address juvenile defenders’ training needs; facilitate networking and develop communities of practice across the juvenile defense field; develop tools and resources to improve defense delivery systems, advance best practices, and enhance procedural justice; and maintain a national clearinghouse of juvenile defense resources. CA/NCF