The Office of the Juvenile Defender presented three regional trainings, called “Youth Defender Forums,” at the end of 2025 and early 2026.  The Youth Defender Forum is geared towards attorneys of all experience levels and attempts to reach defenders close to home to provide an opportunity for learning and building community.  Locations included Wilkesboro and Greenville, with the Greensboro training converted to a virtual training due to weather.  Each training provided the s

The impact of sexual offenses in juvenile court often create confusion with the youth, the parents/caretakers, alleged victims, and stakeholders including law enforcement, court counselors, assistant district attorneys and defense counsel. Youth and parents are often informed by law enforcement, social workers, and others that juvenile court records are “sealed”, and an admission and subsequent adjudication will help obtain appropriate services for the youth without any long-

Guest Blogger Wake County Assistant Public Defender Burcu Hensley January 1, 2025, marked the implementation of the new juvenile capacity (and remediation) laws. Yet, here we are, over a year later, scratching our heads on how we’re actually supposed to get our clients evaluated. I wanted to share some thoughts to navigate this clear-as-mud terrain. First – if you aren’t familiar with what  the changes are, please take a moment to catch up on this. Check out these UNC School