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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PJDC Stands With Solano County Defender’s Free Speech Rights

Solano County Deputy Alternate Public Defender Shelly Saini compassionately advocates for her indigent clients, who are predominantly people of color. In the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Willie McCoy, Sean Monterrosa, and so many others, Ms. Saini, a woman of South Asian descent, decided to stand in solidarity with… Continue reading →

Available for Download: Model Covid-19 Population Reduction Protocol for Secure Juvenile Facilities

Pacific Juvenile Defender Center, Human Rights Watch and National Center for Lesbian Rights have developed a model protocol for counties to reduce youth populations in their secure juvenile facilities during the Covid-19 Pandemic. It provides guidance for intake and release, and proposes an interagency process for decision making. To download your own copy, click on… Continue reading →

PJDC Condemns Santa Clara District Attorney Rosen’s Attack on Public Defender’s Free Speech Rights

On June 3, 2020, in the midst of national outrage over racial disparities and mistreatment of Black people in the justice system, Santa Clara County Alternate Public Defender Sajid Khan published a piece on his personal blog entitled, “be mad at the police, but be even madder at the DA’s offices that perpetuate and protect… 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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