Category: Uncategorized
Information For Families With Children Confined in Juvenile Hall or County Camps During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Health experts warn that congregate settings place all people at substantial risk of illness and death, and declare that reducing the number of people housed in detention facilities immediately is critically necessary for the health and safety of those facilities and our communities. Children confined in juvenile halls and camps in California are also at
Available to Lawyers Defending Children: PJDC’s Post-Disposition Petitions/Writ of Habeas Corpus for Release of Children in Congregate Facilities Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
…Health experts warn that congregate settings place all people at substantial risk of illness and death, and declare that reducing the number of people housed in detention facilities immediately is critically necessary for the health and safety of those facilities and our communities. Children confined in juvenile halls and camps in California are also at
PJDC Calls on California Supreme Court to Provide Guidance to Lower Courts on Releasing Children From Confinement During COVID-19
On April 4, 2020, PJDC sent an open letter to California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, calling on the court and the Judicial Council to issue COVID-19 guidance to juvenile delinquency courts across the State that have not addressed the crisis facing incarcerated children. The letter describes the confusion and failure in Los Angeles …
PJDC’s Transfer Litigation Intensive Forum Has Been Postponed.
The PJDC Governing Board and the Transfer Litigation Intensive Forum Planning Committee have decided to postpone the livestreamed Forum that had been scheduled for Friday, March 20. While last week we were thrilled to find a way to livestream the event, the court closures and issues surfacing about detained youth in response to the COVID-19 …
PJDC Statement on COVID-19 and Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
We, the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center (PJDC), call upon our state, county, and municipal governments to take immediate action against COVID-19 to protect one of California’s most vulnerable group of children—young people in the juvenile delinquency system. PJDC is California’s largest organization of juvenile justice advocates, comprised of over 1,600 juvenile defenders, policy professionals, and …
Registration Now Open For The 2019 Roundtable
Registration is now open for PJDC’s 16th annual Roundtable on Saturday, September 21st at UC Berkeley Law School in Berkeley. This year’s Roundtable will offer case law and legislative updates, as well as workshops in critical areas of juvenile law and policy with a focus on the traumas our clients face both inside and outside …
Desautels and Song Publish Op-Ed on the Closure of Juvenile Halls
PJDC members Meredith Desautels of the Youth Law Center and Ji Seon Song of Stanford Law School recently authored an op-ed in the Chronicle of Social Change calling for counties to creatively reimagine the juvenile justice system, so that they replace juvenile halls with a transformative vision of youth justice centered in the community. The …
SF Board of Supervisors Recognizes the Visionary Leadership of PJDC President Patti Lee
On March 19, 2019, Pacific Juvenile Defender Center (PJDC) President Patti Lee was recognized as a champion of peace and nonviolence and visionary community leader by the City and County of San Francisco during the Board of Supervisor’s celebration of Women’s History Month.
Lee was recommended for this honor by District 11 Supervisor Ahsha …
SF Board of Supervisors Mandate Pre-Interrogation Attorney Consultations for All Youth
On February 26, 2019, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the “Jeff Adachi Youth Rights” ordinance, which prohibits custodial police interrogations of youth 17 years of age or younger, unless certain conditions are first met. These conditions include: (1) providing the youth legal representation in connection with the interrogation, and (2) requiring that …
A Great Warrior for Justice: Jeff Adachi 1959-2019
PJDC mourns the loss of Jeff Adachi, Public Defender of San Francisco, who died suddenly on February 23rd. PJDC President Patti Lee, who serves as head of the Juvenile Division for the office said of Jeff that “He truly believed in redemption,” and that he was especially committed to providing the best juvenile defense and …