2015 Issues

This study examines juveniles’ understanding of attorney-client privilege and zealous representation using a sample of committed juveniles. Since these attributes are what make an attorney’s assistance valuable, an understanding of these basic concepts should be a necessary pre-requisite for any juvenile’s valid waiver of the right to counsel under Miranda. The impact of respondents’ various demographic attributes, exposure to the legal system and attitudes regarding the fairness of court proceedings and the outcome of their own case on their understanding of the duty to zealously represent and attorney-client privilege are analyzed. Findings suggest that even among juveniles who have been through the system, various aspects of zealous representation and attorney-client privilege are not fully understood. Greater experience with the system and living in an urban area tend to correlate with greater understanding of attorney-client privilege. Urban dwellers are, however, less likely to think that it is wise for defendants to tell their attorneys the whole story. The policy implications of these results are evaluated. 

Gold standard research by the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago revealed statistically significant reductions in certain indicators of in-custody violence and re-arrests and returns to detention for Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) detainees who were randomly assigned to living units with a daily behavior management program based on a combination of positive youth development and cognitive behavioral training. The research supplies third-party corroboration of the positive outcomes from the 2007 United States District Court takeover of JTDC detention operations to end the unconstitutional conditions of confinement at the facility. Initial implications and applications for juvenile detention and juvenile justice are discussed, along with possible next steps.

When incarcerated youth face the prospect of reentering the community, they have many obstacles to overcome. There are often employment requirements in the terms of their parole or aftercare and if they fail to obtain and maintain employment, they may reenter the justice system instead of successfully reentering society. While research shows employment matters significantly for a successful transition from incarceration back in to the community, there is limited information on which programs or supports positively impact post incarceration employment. Practitioners have the challenge of locating and choosing curriculum, interventions, or supports with little to go on as to which are the best choices for their population in terms of teaching employability skills. This article focuses on services and supports for teaching employability skills at each of the stages of the juvenile justice process – before, during, and after incarceration. The psychological damage to youth resulting from incarceration is examined as well as the impact on obtaining and maintaining employment post incarceration. Resources are provided for practitioners to find evidence-based interventions and supports for the youth with whom they work. Calls for future research are detailed in the areas of programs and practices, desistence and recidivism, and community-based alternatives.