The National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in response to the lack of representation and information available for young people processed in juvenile court. As such, NJDC works to build the capacity of the juvenile defense practice to ensure every child has an attorney who is specialized and trained in juvenile law.
This funding will support two projects of the NJDC. The first project builds upon the National Juvenile Defense Performance Indicator pilot funded last year by The Tow Foundation, which will help court observers document whether children appearing in court have defense counsel. The second project continues a collaboration with leading juvenile prosecutors to formalize joint policy statements in support of youth justice reforms.
