Youth Defense Delivery Systems and Associated Outcomes

NORC, in collaboration with the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) and The Gault Center, proposes a rigorous, multi-method, multi-site analysis of youth defense delivery systems, practices, and associated outcomes. The study includes analysis of the National Juvenile Court Data Archive, hosted by NCJJ, and interviews with youth legal counsel, guided by the National Juvenile Defense Standards. The study involves: 1) identification of jurisdictions that submit data to the National Juvenile Court Data Archive on the assignment of youth legal counsel for inclusion in the study; 2) conducting semi-structured interviews with legal counsel to understand how youth are assigned to legal counsel and youth defense practices, as defined by the National Juvenile Defense Standards; 3) analyzing the National Juvenile Court Data Archive data for the first time to understand the proportion of youth receiving legal representation and how case processes and outcomes for youth vary by the type of legal counsel provided to youth; and 4) disseminating findings from the study, including practitioner-friendly briefs, a peer -reviewed journal article, presentations, and a final technical report. CA/NCF