Youth Justice
CLCM’s Youth Justice practice provides zealous, client-directed representation when children and youth are in trouble with the law. Courts appoint CLCM attorneys, who are certified by the state's Committee for Public Counsel Services' (CPCS), to represent children and youth at the trial level in Essex County and at the appellate level statewide.
Science Based Strategies
CLCM understands that children are different than adults, and that even if a young person is found to have violated the law, the delinquency adjudication that may result is not the same as a criminal conviction. Laws governing the prosecution of young people should reflect the science of child development: developing brains make delinquent acts more likely to occur, but less likely to persist or to warrant a punitive response. Our team weaves science into advocacy in the courtroom and beyond.
Holistic Representation
Always respecting the goals set by the juvenile client in a case, attorneys engage in holistic advocacy aimed at disentangling children and youth from court systems and maximizing the likelihood of their long-term success. We support clients and their families to deepen positive connections to resources within their communities, advocate for alternatives to confinement, and engage in school-based advocacy.
Systemic Advocacy
CLCM’s Youth Justice Practice engages in systemic advocacy aimed at:
Keeping youth out of the delinquency system.
Reducing the inherent harm of court involvement on children.
Rooting out direct and indirect discrimination on the basis of race, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability, by decision-makers during the investigation, processing, and judgment of delinquency offenses.
Collaborating on efforts to improve other systems children and youth interface with, including the Department of Children and Families (DCF), educational and immigration systems, and mental health systems of care.