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As defenders, do you pay attention to media coverage of crimes in your area, specifically crimes allegedly committed by youth? Does your local law enforcement or prosecutor’s office have a social media page from which they post information about pending cases and investigations? Does your local news outlet get its information from law enforcement directly? Have you seen an impact on clients in the legal system as a result of media coverage? This article discusses the impact of media coverage o

Defenders, for those unable to attend the 2023 Gault Center Southern Regional Summit in Knoxville, Tennessee, this year… we have a treat for you! The two headlining sessions will be available for everyone to watch in real time. We do not plan to record these sessions, so we hope you take the opportunity to hear these great speakers and who knows… maybe you’ll see why we love regional summit so much and you’ll decide to join us next year!FRIDAY Morning June 23, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM ESTRep. Just

The Sentencing Project recently released a report entitled Youth Justice By the Numbers about youth arrests and incarceration numbers. The report is a great resource for defenders as it highlights the decrease in youth arrests and detention over the past 20 years. According to the report, “between 2000 and 2020, the number of youth held in juvenile justice facilities fell from 109,000 to 25,000 – a 77% decline.” This report also gives an overview of the number of youth committed for delinquency

In a recent blog post, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Administrator Liz Ryan gave a brief history of juvenile indigent defense in light of the 56th Anniversary of In re Gault. She provides an overview of the Gault decision and then points out that, while juvenile indigent defense has improved, there are still barriers to juvenile representation. Two of the barriers she describes are early access to counsel/automatic appointment, and a lack of specialization for youth defe

A huge shout out to Clyde and Haywood County for having us on Friday for this year’s Western Youth Defender Forum. It was such a successful day of training! We had four phenomenal presenters, great workshop and brainstorming time, and an incredible opportunity to get know the local defenders in Western North Carolina. And we’re not just saying this because we’re the host; the attendees had great feedback as well!Enjoy some photos we snapped at this training, and keep an eye out for more to come!

How do you interview two phenomenal attorneys who both happen to be a little camera shy? You cartoonize them!! Take a coffee break and enjoy this two-way interview between OJD Project Attorney Yolanda Fair and Assistant Juvenile Defender Terri Johnson as they ask each other questions about their thoughts about juvenile defense, hidden talents, funny jokes, and an answer to the age-old question of Duke vs UNC!

Join OJD and Assistant Juvenile Defender Terri Johnson as she delves into secured custody and shackling advocacy. As the third training in our Back to Basics series, Assistant Juvenile Defender Johnson will give an overview of secured custody law while also discussing some of the important issues that come up for defenders. She will give tips and strategies for effective secured custody hearings and the importance of our role as defenders in these hearings. She will teach about shackling, the cu

Defenders, the deadline to register for the 2023 Gault South Regional Summit is quickly approaching! This year’s summit in Knoxville, TN, is promising to be another phenomenal year. The 2023 agenda (subject to adjustments and modifications, of course) is now posted on the registration page, and includes keynote addresses from TN Representative Justin Pearson (#tennessee3) and Professor Wendy Bach of the University of Tennessee College of Law. A special community tour is scheduled and, pending ea

Registration is open for the 2023 Western Regional Youth Defender Forum in Clyde, NC! Please visit our registration page for more information, including lunch details and the agenda, and to register to attend this year’s event.Remember, we host the same forum across the state three times each year, and we hope to see you at the forum closest to you! If you cannot attend the forum for your region, please reach out to us and we will be happy to help you register for a different forum.

When we hear the phrase “public defender,” we usually think of an attorney who practices indigent defense, representing persons unable to afford counsel. In North Carolina, we have a mixed system of defense delivery systems, including privately assigned counsel, contractors, law school clinics, and state funded Public Defender Offices. Public Defender offices are created by legislative act. Currently, there are 19 offices covering 38 counties:These offices, headed by a locally-appointed Chief