From OJD!
Happy Easter and Passover from OJD! OJD wishes you a very Happy Easter & Passover 2021, with sunshine & good times with family. Stay safe and we’ll be back Friday to recap your #JuvenileDefense week. Thank you for all that you do! Happy Hoppy Holiday!
From A Lawyer’s View: The Kitchen Sink
Over the past several months, attorneys at the Office of the Juvenile Defender, the Wake County Public Defender’s Office, and my office (the Office of the Appellate Defender) have been strategizing on how to challenge automatic transfer from juvenile court to superior court. One other attorney – Katie Kerr – served as both scribe and generator-of-ideas. Katie helped move this process along and deserves a great deal of credit for pulling us over the finish line. The finish line, of course, are
Risk and Needs Assessment (YASI) Sessions
Afternoon Defenders! North Carolina Department of Public Safety Juvenile Justice Section will begin using a new risk and needs assessment instrument beginning January 1, 2021. This new tool is called the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI). DJJ is offering virtual Q&A’s on the new tool to assist with the use when it launches. The virtual YASI sessions will be conducted via WebEx and all judicial officials are invited to attend one of the following virtual sessions: Thursday, Novemb
Week in Review: June 15-19
Here’s to another Friday in the books! Couple announcements and a bit of history today, and of course your weekly tip. Thanks for all that you continue to do. Tip of the Week – Building Trust Investing time is the single most important strategy for building trust and rapport with your client. You need to listen and ask questions without judgment, and explain why you need to ask certain questions. Allow your client the opportunity, and encourage him/her to ask questions as well. Be sure to expla
*Edited* Week in Review: May 18-22
You know what happens when you try to be proactive? Ask LaTobia 😀 (My apologies for the super early morning 12:45 blog post, clearly AM and PM are the same to me haha!) Thank you to everyone that attended our first Online CLE! And a MAJOR thank you to Michelle Duprey for presenting on Video Conference Secure Custody. We hope you gained some insightful information and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office. Also! Don’t forget about the course evaluation! Keeping it sh
Juveniles & COVID-19
As you may know, courts around the country are limiting or altogether restricting visitation to juvenile detention to combat the spread of COVID-19. While at a base level, important to the safety and physical health of these youth, another issue has come from these sweeping changes: added mental health stress. You can read this article from The Marshall Project. With the limits on visitation, youth are concerned for their loved ones, parents cannot see their child, and the implications of the r
Podcast Alert!
The revamped OJD Podcast is here! We are still searching for a new name so if you have any ideas and would like to win a prize…email us your thoughts! You can listen to the new podcast here on Soundcloud. Please feel free to send us your comments, suggestions, and thoughts regarding our first podcast release. We’d love to hear from you! Want to be a guest with a Juvenile Justice topic? Email LaTobia.
NC IDS is Seeking the NEXT Executive Director!
The IDS Commission is seeking the next Executive Director for IDS and the position has been posted here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/northcarolina/jobs/2686309/executive-director-indigent-defense-services. The position closes February 18, 2020, and the Commission expects to conduct interviews March 26 or 27. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a vision for public defense in North Carolina and an interest in working with great people to turn that vision into reality. If y
Training Announcements!
Below you will find 3 upcoming FREE training announcements for North Carolina Defense Attorneys. We will also be announcing a Save The Date this Friday! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact LaTobia or call the office at 919-890-1650. Thank you. We also have an ALL DAY Juvenile Defender Enhancement training on February 26, 2020. This training requires an RSVP as space is limited here at the Judicial Center.
Raise the AGE is in Effect!
As of Sunday 12/01/2019 at 12:00 AM the Raise the Age initiative is in effect. That means that any 16 and 17 year old who commit crimes (with exceptions) will no longer be charged as adults. For more information about implementation, please feel free to contact the NC Office of the Juvenile Defender at 919-890-1650.