States Push for Tougher Standards for Juvenile Public Defenders
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Lawyers and legal analysts increasingly say that juveniles should be represented by criminal defense lawyers who are specialists in juvenile law.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — At first glance, the rotunda of the Middlesex County Juvenile Court building doesn’t feel very different from where adults face criminal proceedings. It’s hushed. Lawyers scurry to meet with clients sitting next to family members. As the kids wait for their cases to be called, they stare straight ahead, somber looks on their faces.
Many of the young defendants here are represented by lawyers who specialize in juvenile cases and say the cases can be more complex, take more time and have greater long-term consequences for the defendants than adult cases. As that view becomes more widespread, courts and indigent defense offices across the country are placing more requirements on juvenile defense lawyers with the aim of making it a specialized practice.
Historically, juvenile court often has been seen as a training ground, a “kiddy court” without jury trials where new, young lawyers could learn the ins and outs of criminal defense before moving to the higher stakes of adult criminal court.
“That’s where they learn to be an attorney,” said Tim Curry with the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC), which developed training standards for juvenile defenders. “But that is not OK in other professions. We don’t tell brand-new doctors they should start as pediatricians. So why do we accept that with the justice system?”
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