Caren Harp, Administrator 

Improving Juvenile Indigent Defense 

In May 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in In re Gault 

that established the right to counsel for youth in delinquency cases. Despite 

progress made in the five decades since that decision, the promise of In re Gault 

has yet to become a reality for many of America’s youth. Research shows that 

barriers to juveniles’ receipt of proper counsel may include juvenile defenders’

excessive caseloads, inadequate compensation for public defenders, and a lack

of juvenile-specific training for lawyers.

Juvenile defenders play a critical role in ensuring fairness and equity for youth

and families, and in preserving public confidence in the juvenile justice system.

By funding efforts that will help to improve outcomes for indigent juvenile

offenders, OJJDP is helping to reduce the risk of reoffending, enhance public

safety, and increase the likelihood that these youth will become productive,

law-abiding members of society.

Program 

Enhancements for Juvenile Indigent Defense 

Through this program, OJJDP is working to ensure that all youth involved with 

the juvenile justice system have equal access to specialized, well-resourced, 

juvenile defense counsel. Grantees use program funds to improve the quality 

and availability of legal services, to respond to gaps in practice, and to 

ensure that juveniles have access to resources that address the collateral 

consequences of justice system involvement. Grantees may also use funds to 

train court personnel, improve juvenile courts’ data collection efforts, analyze 

a jurisdiction’s juvenile defense delivery system, and identify and implement 

successful strategies that may be replicable across jurisdictions. 

Training and Technical Assistance 

National Juvenile Defender Center 

The National Juvenile Defender Center provides technical assistance to 

juvenile defenders and juvenile defense agencies across the country; conducts 

juvenile-specific trainings for public defenders and court-appointed counsel; 

supports the creation of specialized juvenile defender units; and develops 

tools, training, and resources specific to identified regional, state, and local 

needs. The center also maintains a clearinghouse of information on juvenile 

defense and children’s constitutional rights. 

For More Information 

Access more information about how OJJDP helps to ensure that all justiceinvolved youth receive the guarantees of due process and equal protection at 

https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/programs/juvenile-indigent-defense. 

October 2020 

Funding 

Between fscal years 2017 

and 2019, OJJDP awarded 

approximately $7.2 million to 

improve the quality of juvenile 

indigent defense nationwide. 

` Fiscal Year 2019—$1.8 million 

` Fiscal Year 2018—$1.7 million 

` Fiscal Year 2017—$3.7 million 

From the Field 

Supported by a 2018 grant, Ohio’s

Hamilton County Public Defender

Juvenile Division is developing an

innovative, multidisciplinary team

approach to juvenile defense that

involves attorneys, investigators,

social workers, community

volunteers, and a mitigation

specialist advocating for systeminvolved youth. The mitigation

specialist investigates each client’s

unique circumstances, gathers

comprehensive social histories,

identifies appropriate communitybased treatment and services, and

prepares individualized disposition

plans and mitigation reports for the

defense attorneys. 

The division is also establishing a

participatory defense network to

improve outcomes for juveniles.

Participatory defense is a

community-organizing model for

youth involved in the justice system,

their families, and their communities 

to positively impact case outcomes.

Together with its community

partners, the Juvenile Division is

providing staff and volunteers with

rigorous training on the principles

and tools required to effectively

implement participatory defense. 

Office of Juvenile Justice and 

NCJ 255341 Delinquency Prevention 

ojjdp.ojp.gov