PJDC | Pacific Juvenile Defender Center

The Pacific Juvenile Defender Center provides support to juvenile trial lawyers, appellate counsel, law school clinical programs, and nonprofit law centers to ensure quality representation for children throughout California.

PJDC has streaming training videos! We are building our video library over the next several months, but currently we have our eight-hour AB703 training video and handouts available now for purchase. View the training videos »

Lawyers & Youth Justice Advocates

This section provides PJDC members with access to motions, briefs, and other resources to assist them in their advocacy.

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Youth, Families & Community

We believe children in the justice system must be treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. If your child is going through the court process, we provide free resources to help you understand the challenges your child faces. If your child was in the juvenile delinquency system, we have information regarding sealing and other collateral consequences of system involvement.

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News & Announcements

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BSCC Finds LA Juvenile Halls “Unsuitable” in Historic First

The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC), found Los Angeles juvenile halls unsuitable to house young people at its September 16, 2022 meeting. In a unanimous vote, the Board gave the county 60 days from October 1, to either remediate the violations or remove young people from the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in… Continue reading →

COVID-19 and California’s Detained Youth: Vulnerable and Overlooked

Recently, PJDC’s Policy Director Sue Burrell, along with her frequent collaborator, Shannan Wilber of the National Center of Lesbian Rights, responded to UC Berkeley California Journal of Politics and Policy’s call for articles for in its special issue on COVID-19. The resulting article, “COVID-19 and California’s Detained Youth: Vulnerable and Overlooked,” chronicles the efforts they… Continue reading →

Legislature Enacts “Secure” Track to Prevent Transfer to Adult Court

On May 14, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 92, creating a “Secure Youth Treatment Facilities” track for youth found to have committed serious offenses. This was one of the outstanding provisions remaining after SB 823 announced the closure of the state Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and the “realignment” of youth to the care… Continue reading →

Amicus

The PJDC Amicus Committee, comprised of California trial counsel, appellate counsel, law faculty, and juvenile advocates, collaborates on issues of critical importance to California juvenile defenders.
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Youth Justice Reform

PJDC members develop and comment on proposed changes in juvenile justice policy, participate in informational legislative hearings, serve on multi-agency task forces and more.
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Training & Technical Assistance

PJDC fills a critical need in offering the chronically under-resourced California juvenile defense bar specialized trainings and technical support services.
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