{"id":373,"title":{"rendered":"Holistic Client-Centered Advocacy in Juvenile Delinquency Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lisa A. Polansky\u200a1<\/a>\u200a<\/span><\/sup> It is not idealistic to state that, as advocates, we should strive to serve the greater good and long-term effect on the child and community as a whole.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/a>In this article, Part II will set out the background for this discussion by briefly laying out the history of the juvenile court and philosophy; identifying the client population; and addressing adolescent brain development and relevant Supreme Court precedent and the mass incarceration of youth, especially youth of color, in our country.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/a>Part III will identify the role of the juvenile defense counsel in delinquency proceedings. Part IV will provide a guide to the practical application of the client-centered holistic approach to the representation of youth. Part V will then identify some of the realities in holistic legal practice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n<\/a>II. Background\r\n<\/h2>\r\n

\r\n<\/a>A. History of Juvenile Court\r\n<\/h3>\r\n\r\n

<\/a>Even before the juvenile court was ever developed, the difference between child and adult had been recognized in the law in the United States. In common law, William Blackstone defined children under the age of seven as infants<\/q> and therefore incapable of committing a crime, based on their inability to understand their actions.<\/q> English Common Law vaguely defined the age range warranting this distinction as between ages seven and fourteen. However, Blackstone described the doctrine malitia supplet aetatem<\/i><\/q> (malice supplies the age<\/q>), wherein the legal capacity was not so defined by the number of years but by the child\u2019s understanding and judgment.\u200a3<\/a>\u200a<\/span><\/sup>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n

<\/a>The lawyer who brings her humanity into the courtroom and genuinely cares for the client and his future, will in turn work harder and more diligently to advocate for him and will do more than provide legal advice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\nWhen she cares about the client as an individual, not only does she want to assist him through the complex maze of our legal system, but she also wants him to succeed; as a result, her defense is zealous.<\/q>\u200a58<\/a>\u200a<\/span><\/sup> \r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n

<\/a>This is perhaps the first time, and hopefully not the last time, this child will see himself as worthy of fighting for. Who knows, maybe this child may even become a lawyer and advocate for some other kid someday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Footnotes<\/h2>
\u200a1<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Attorney<\/a>, Independent Consultant on Juvenile Justice, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Juvenile Justice<\/a>. The author would like to thank Samantha Gurrentz, a recent law graduate from Tulane University, School of Law, and now a Colorado-licensed attorney, for her legal research and contribution to this article, and Peter Sauer, Attorney from Cooley, LLP, for his unwavering support and editing of this article.<\/div>
\u200a2<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Kyung M. Lee, Comment, Reinventing Gideon v. Wainwright: Holistic Defenders, Indigent Defendants, and the Right to Counsel<\/cite>, 31 Am. J. Crim. L. 367, 371\u201372<\/span><\/a> (2004).<\/span><\/div>
\u200a3<\/a>\u200a<\/span>William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England<\/span>, Book IV, 23<\/a> (1753). <\/div>
\u200a4<\/a>\u200a<\/span>ABA Division for Public Education, The History of Juvenile Justice<\/a><\/cite><\/span>.<\/div>
\u200a5<\/a>\u200a<\/span>387 U.S. 1, 13<\/a> (1967).<\/div>
\u200a6<\/a>\u200a<\/span>In re Gault<\/i>, 387 U.S. 1, 36<\/a> (1967).<\/div>
\u200a7<\/a>\u200a<\/span>National Juvenile Defender Center, Gault Forty Years Later, Importance and Impact<\/a><\/cite>.<\/div>
\u200a8<\/a>\u200a<\/span>National Juvenile Defender Center, Gault Forty Years Later, Importance and Impact<\/a><\/cite>.<\/div>
\u200a9<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Erik H. Erikson, Identity: Youth and Crisis<\/a><\/span> (1968).<\/div>
\u200a10<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suicide Prevention: Youth Suicide<\/a><\/cite> (2014).<\/div>
\u200a11<\/a>\u200a<\/span>American Psychological Association Survey Shows Teen Stress Rivals That of Adults<\/a><\/cite>, American Psychological Association <\/span>(2014).<\/div>
\u200a12<\/a>\u200a<\/span>543 U.S. 551<\/a> (2005).<\/div>
\u200a13<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Brief of the Am. Med. Ass\u2019n et al. as Amici Curiae in Support of Respondent<\/cite> at 4\u20135, 5\u20136, 9\u201311, 15<\/a>, in Roper v. Simmons<\/i>, 543 U.S. 551<\/a> (2005).<\/div>
\u200a14<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Roper v. Simmons<\/i>, 543 U.S. 551, 570\u201371<\/a> (2005); Thompson v. Oklahoma<\/i>, 487 U.S. 815, 838<\/a> (1988).<\/div>
\u200a15<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Thompson v. Oklahoma<\/i>, 487 U.S. 815, 834<\/a> (1988), quoting Eddings v. Oklahoma<\/i>, 455 U.S. 104, 115<\/a>, n. 11 (1982). <\/div>
\u200a16<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Roper v. Simmons<\/i>, 543 U.S. 551, 570\u201371<\/a> (2005); see also Eddings v. Oklahoma<\/i>, 455 U.S. 104<\/a> (1982).<\/div>
\u200a17<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Roper v. Simmons<\/i>, 543 U.S. 551, 570\u201371<\/a> (2005).<\/div>
\u200a18<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Graham v. Florida, <\/i>130 S. Ct. 2011, 2026<\/a> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a19<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Graham v. Florida<\/i>, 130 S. Ct. 2011<\/a> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a20<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Miller v. Alabama<\/i>, 132 S. Ct. 2455<\/a> (2012).<\/div>
\u200a21<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Miller v. Alabama<\/i>, 132 S. Ct. 2455, 2465, 2466<\/a> (2012). <\/div>
\u200a22<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Stanford v. Kentucky<\/i>, 492 U.S. 361, 369<\/a> (1989); see also Miller<\/i>, 132 S. Ct. 2455, 2463<\/a>; Graham<\/i>, 130 S. Ct. 2011, 2021<\/a>; Roper<\/i>, 543 U.S. 551, 561<\/a>.<\/div>
\u200a23<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Miller<\/i>, 132 S. Ct. 2455, 2467<\/a>; Roper<\/i>, 543 U.S. 551, 569<\/a>; Eddings<\/i>, 455 U.S. 104, 115<\/a>.<\/div>
\u200a24<\/a>\u200a<\/span>J.D.B. v. North Carolina<\/i>, 131 S. Ct. 2394<\/a> (2011).<\/div>
\u200a25<\/a>\u200a<\/span>J.D.B. v. North Carolina<\/i>, 131 S. Ct. 2394, 2406<\/a> (2011), quoting Eddings v. Oklahoma<\/i>, 455 U.S. 104, 115<\/a> (1982).<\/div>
\u200a26<\/a>\u200a<\/span>J.D.B. v. North Carolina<\/i>, 131 S. Ct. 2394, 2403, 2404<\/a> (2011), quoting Eddings v. Oklahoma<\/i>, 455 U.S. 104, 115\u201316<\/a> (1982.<\/div>
\u200a27<\/a>\u200a<\/span>J.D.B. v. North Carolina<\/i>, 131 S. Ct. 2394<\/a> (2011).<\/div>
\u200a28<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Graham v. Florida<\/i>, 130 S. Ct. 2011<\/a> (2010).<\/div>
\u200a29<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Bennet, DiIulio & Walters, Body Count: Moral Poverty and How to Win America\u2019s War on Drugs 27<\/a><\/span> (1996).<\/div>
\u200a30<\/a>\u200a<\/span>U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Juvenile Arrests 2011<\/span><\/a><\/cite> (2013).<\/div>
\u200a31<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Elizabeth Becker, As Ex-Theorist on Young Superpredators,<\/q> Bush Aide Has Regrets<\/cite>, The New York Times<\/span><\/a>, February 9, 2001.<\/div>
\u200a32<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Sarah Hockenberry & Charles Puzzanchera, Juvenile Court Statistics 2011<\/cite><\/a><\/span> (2014).<\/div>
\u200a33<\/a><\/span> Jason Ziedenberg, You\u2019re an Adult Now: Youth in Adult Criminal Justice Systems<\/a><\/cite><\/span> (2011).<\/div>
\u200a34<\/a><\/span> Jason Ziedenberg, You\u2019re an Adult Now: Youth in Adult Criminal Justice Systems<\/a><\/cite><\/span> (2011).<\/div>
\u200a35<\/a>\u200a<\/span>National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, Report 18<\/a><\/span> (2009).<\/div>
\u200a36<\/a><\/span> Allen Beck, Paige Harrison, & Devon Adams, Sexual Violence Reported by Correctional Authorities, 2006<\/a><\/cite><\/span> (2007); National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, Report<\/a><\/span> (2009).<\/div>
\u200a37<\/a><\/span> Neelum Arya, State Trends: Legislative Victories from 2005 to 2010 Removing Youth from the Adult Criminal Justice System<\/a><\/cite><\/span> (2011).<\/div>
\u200a38<\/a><\/span> Campaign for Youth Justice, Jailing Juveniles<\/a><\/cite> <\/span>(2007).<\/div>
\u200a39<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Douglas Evans & Sheyla Delgado, Most High Risk Youth Referred to Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. Remain Arrest Free and in Their Communities During YAP Participation<\/cite><\/a><\/span> (2014).<\/div>
\u200a40<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Ellen Marrus, Best Interests Equals Zealous Advocacy: a Not So Radical View of Holistic Representation for Children Accused of Crime<\/cite>, 62 Md. L. Rev. 288<\/span><\/a> (2003).<\/div>
\u200a41<\/a>\u200a<\/span>387 U.S. 1<\/a> (1967).<\/div>
\u200a42<\/a>\u200a<\/span>American Bar Association Institute of Judicial Administration, Juvenile Justice Standards: Standards Relating to Counsel For Private Parties <\/span>\u00a7\u00a7 3.1(a), 9.4(a)<\/a> (1980); National Advisory Committee for Juvenile Delinquency Prevention, Standards for the Administration of Juvenile Justice<\/a><\/cite><\/span> (1980); see also Kristin Henning, Loyalty, Paternalism, and Rights: Client Counseling Theory and the Role of Child\u2019s Counsel in Delinquency Cases<\/cite>, 81 Notre Dame L. Rev. 245, 255\u201357, 270\u2013280<\/span><\/a> (2005).<\/div>
\u200a43<\/a>\u200a<\/span>American Bar Association Institute of Judicial Administration, Juvenile Justice Standards: Standards Relating to Counsel For Private Parties<\/span> \u00a7\u00a7 3.1(a)<\/a> (1980); see also Kristin Henning, Loyalty, Paternalism, and Rights: Client Counseling Theory and the Role of Child\u2019s Counsel in Delinquency Cases<\/cite>, 81 Notre Dame L. Rev. 245, 255\u201357, 270\u2013280<\/span><\/a> (2005).<\/div>
\u200a44<\/a>\u200a<\/span>ABA Standards for Criminal Justice: Prosecution and Defense Function<\/a><\/span> (3d ed., 1993).<\/div>
\u200a45<\/a>\u200a<\/span>National Juvenile Defender Center, National Juvenile Defense Standards<\/span> \u00a7 2.1<\/a> (2012).<\/div>
\u200a46<\/a>\u200a<\/span>National Juvenile Defender Center, National Juvenile Defense Standards<\/span> 20<\/a> (2012); see also Robin Walker Sterling, Role of Juvenile Defense Counsel in Delinquency Court<\/a> <\/span>(2009).<\/div>
\u200a47<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Robin Walker Sterling, Role of Juvenile Defense Counsel in Delinquency Court 8<\/a><\/span> (2009).<\/div>
\u200a48<\/a>\u200a<\/span>American Bar Association Institute of Judicial Administration, Juvenile Justice Standards: Standards Relating to Pretrial Court Proceedings, Commentary to Standard 7(c)<\/a> <\/span>(1980).<\/div>
\u200a49<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Ellen Marrus, Best Interests Equals Zealous Advocacy: a Not So Radical View of Holistic Representation for Children Accused of Crime<\/cite>, 62 Md. L. Rev. 288<\/span><\/a> (2003) (citing Kathleen Sylvester, Attorneys Who Teach Street Law,<\/q><\/cite> Natl. L.J. 1<\/span>, at 1 (1983)); see also Marvin Ventrell, Rights & Duties: An Overview of the Attorney-Child Client Relationship<\/cite>, 26 Loy. U. Chi. L.J. 259, 268<\/span><\/a> (1995).<\/div>
\u200a50<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Katherine Hunt Federle, The Ethics of Empowerment: Rethinking the Role of Lawyers in Interviewing and Counseling the Child Client<\/cite>, 64 Fordham L. Rev. 1655<\/span><\/a> (1996).<\/div>
\u200a51<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Robin G. Steinberg, Beyond Lawyering: How Holistic Representation Makes for Good Policy, Better Lawyers, and More Satisfied Clients<\/cite>, 30 N.Y.U. Rev. L. & Soc. Change 625, 626\u201327<\/span><\/a> (2006). <\/div>
\u200a52<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Laurence Steinberg, Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice<\/cite>, 5 Ann. Rev. Clinical Psychol. 459, 466<\/span><\/a> (2009).<\/div>
\u200a53<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Laurence Steinberg & Elizabeth S. Scott, Less Guilty by Reason of Adolescence<\/cite>, 58 Am. Psychologist 1009, 1013<\/span><\/a> (2003).<\/div>
\u200a54<\/a>\u200a<\/span>362 U.S. 402<\/a> (1960).<\/div>
\u200a55<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Thomas Grisso, et al., Juveniles\u2019 Competence to Stand Trial: A Comparison of Adolescents\u2019 and Adults\u2019 Capacities as Trial Defendants<\/cite>, 27 L. & Hum. Behav. 333<\/span><\/a> (2003).<\/div>
\u200a56<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Ellen Marrus, Best Interests Equals Zealous Advocacy: a Not So Radical View of Holistic Representation for Children Accused of Crime<\/cite>, 62 Md. L. Rev. 288<\/span><\/a> (2003).<\/div>
\u200a57<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Kyung M. Lee, Comment, Reinventing Gideon v. Wainwright: Holistic Defenders, Indigent Defendants, and the Right to Counsel<\/cite>, 31 Am. J. Crim. L. 367, 394<\/span><\/a> (2004), quoting Charles Ogletree, Jr., Beyond Justification: Seeking Motivations to Sustain Public Defenders<\/cite>, 106 Harv. L. Rev. 1239, 1273<\/span><\/a> (1993).<\/span><\/div>
\u200a58<\/a>\u200a<\/span>Kyung M. Lee, Comment, Reinventing Gideon v. Wainwright: Holistic Defenders, Indigent Defendants, and the Right to Counsel<\/cite>, 31 Am. J. Crim. L. 367, 394<\/span><\/a> (2004), quoting Charles Ogletree, Jr., Beyond Justification: Seeking Motivations to Sustain Public Defenders<\/cite>, 106 Harv. L. Rev. 1239, 1273<\/span><\/a> (1993).<\/span><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lisa A. Polansky<\/p>\n","protected":false},"meta":{"_citation":"2 Stetson J. Advoc. & L. 1 (2015)","_first_para":1,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9"]}