Week in Review: September 12-16
Happy Friday to everyone joining in on the blog this week. We have a great piece of information from Disability Rights North Carolina and a few housekeeping items to share, so let’s get started.TIP OF THE WEEK – Disability RightsThank you to everyone who able to attend our joint CLE, School Obligations for Youth with Disabilities with Disability Rights NC last week. We know that court and life gets busy and that some defenders were unable to join and wanted to provide you with some resources. Of
From a Lawyer’s View: Contact OJD!
TO: Juvenile Defenders in North CarolinaFROM: OJDDATE: AnytimeRE: Contact Us!For those out there in the Juvenile Defense Community who have never contacted our office with a question, consider doing so. I know, I know – there are reasons why not:· There are actual humans in Raleigh that answer questions?· I don’t want more bad news for my case.· Do you all really know what you’re doing?· Aren’t you super busy talking to other people?There are actual humans in Raleigh t
Week in Review: August 15-19
Hey Hey! It’s Friday! OJD is attending the Juvenile Defender Conference at the School of Government today, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get a brand new tip of the week (from Terri!) or find out about a new job posting within IDS. Let’s get to it!Tip of the Week – Amending Juvenile PetitionsThe 2021Annual Report indicates that out of complaints filed in the fiscal year 2020-2021, over 29,000 complaints were made affecting over 11,000 distinct Youth. From those complaints and distinct youth, fi
Week in Review: August 8-12
Happy Friday Readers! Have you ever wanted to contribute a juvenile tip to the blog or maybe have an entry for our "From a Lawyer’s View" series? Well, we’re always open to contributing writers! Interested? Email LaTobia at latobia.s.avent@nccourts.org. Tip of the WeekThis month, the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) released updated data and research bulletins that could be of interest to youth defenders. Last week, OJJDP published its updated Statistical Briefing Book
Week in Review: July 25-29
Happy Friday Readers! It’s time for another week in review leading us into the weekend. This week we have a fun new tip from Project Attorney Yolanda Fair, a webinar announcement to get a sneak peek at the new J-411 AOC form, and an opportunity to take part in a survey. Let’s get started.Tip of the WeekLanguage is constantly changing. The slang that was popular back in 2010 is different than what is popular now. While a client using popular slang may feel different than having a client speaking
Week in Review: July 4-8
We hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend and enjoyed that extra day off to relax and catch up on some good ole fashioned sleep. This week we have some congratulations to share, a tip, a job announcement, AND a training announcement to share. Congratulations to Dawn Baxter! Last month, Dawn was reappointed as the Chief Public Defender for Durham County. "My career in the Durham County Public Defenders’ Office has provided me with the opportunity to help the community, and to pay it forwar
Happy 4th of July! But first….
Huge THANK YOU to everyone that attended our first-ever YOUTH DEFENDER FORUM in Morganton, NC. We had a great turnout, a great lunch, and even better training on Friday, June 24. Thank you to Tim Henderson for being our guest speaker and thank you all for supporting OJD and doing the hard work protecting our NC youth! Our next Youth Defender Forum is for all of our Central defenders on September 30, 2022. More details to come and we hope to see you there!CLE OPPORTUNITY! – Digital Evidence Part
Week in Review: June 20-24
CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID ANDREWS & KATHY VANDENBERG!Congratulations David and Kathy for your victory in not one but TWO North Carolina Supreme Court cases finding de facto life sentences without parole for juveniles unconstitutional! You can read about their win here: https://appellate.nccourts.org/opinions/?c=1&pdf=41495 Tip of the Week – How Do I Know the State Will be Seeking the Gang Enhancement Against My Juvenile? Under current law, there is no process for notice to the juvenile and the j
When Your Career Careens into Realty – A Juvenile Defender’s Thoughts This Father’s Day
Most of you know me as the state Juvenile Defender, but I also have two teenage daughters, a rising junior and a freshman respectively. Both have a pretty good understanding of my day job. I get questions like “what happens if I get stopped by the police” or “why didn’t that person go to jail”? And both have shown or displayed interest in what I do: my oldest is taking an advanced “Law and Justice” class next year (!) and my youngest doesn’t miss an opportunity to call out injustices she see
Week in Review: June 6-10
Happy Friday Readers! School’s out and the summer has officially started for the kids! While we know that summer means less school-based offenses, we know that doesn’t mean things slow down for our defenders. We’ll be sharing all the same great tips this summer and a few new ones like today. This week we have one of those new tips, a look at OJD at the SJDC Summit and a new job opportunity with the Office of the Capital Defender. Let’s get started:Tip of the Week: What Does the Victims’ Rights S