Perspective: Shifting Values in Juvenile Justice?

By Sue Burrell, YLC Staff Attorney  |  Los Angeles Daily Journal  —   It wasn’t a bad year for juvenile justice in California. In fact, it has been a remarkably good decade considering the disasters faced by other public systems. Recent developments reflect an incipient national shift toward child-centered values. We are (at last) seeing a withering away of […]

Local Youth Advocate Wins National ‘Unsung Hero’ Award

By Donna Tam  |  The Times-Standard  —   When Rochelle Trochtenberg criticized the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Service’s approach to group homes two years ago, she didn’t know she would end up being employed by the department. A former foster youth, Trochtenberg felt compelled to voice her opinion about the group home system at a July […]

Jennifer Rodriguez Quoted in Article about 2010 Unsung Hero

The Times-Standard in Eureka published an article about one of the 2010 Loren Warboys Unsung Heroes, Rochelle Trochtenberg, a lead organizer of the Humboldt County Transition Age Youth Collaboration (HCTAYC). Jennifer Rodriguez, YLC Staff Attorney, is quoted as saying “Trochtenberg is an example of how youth can help change the system when they are given […]

Shauffer Quoted in Article Re Ouster of LA DCFS’ Director

Carole Shauffer, YLC Executive Director, was quoted in an article in the Los Angeles Times about the ouster of Trish Ploehn, who was the director of Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services. Download article.

County Ousts Child Agency Chief

By Garrett Therolf  |  Los Angeles Times  —   Trish Ploehn, the embattled director of Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services, was removed Monday and is expected to be replaced for now by a top county official who wrote a recent report which found the agency to be in “crisis.”. Antonia Jimenez, a top aide to […]

2010 Loren Warboys’ Unsung Heroes

Each year, the Youth Law Center presents the Loren Warboys Unsung Hero award to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to improve the lives of at-risk youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. This year’s awardees are PAOLO ANNINO Paolo Annino is a clinical law professor at Florida State University College of Law […]

Sue Burrell – 2010 PJDC Juvenile Defender of the Year

YLC Staff Attorney Sue Burrell received the 2010 “Juvenile Defender of the Year” award at the seventh annual Pacific Juvenile Defender Center Roundtable held on November 6, 2010 at Sacramento State University. When presenting the award to Sue, PJDC Co-Director Patricia Lee recognized Sue’s incredible career of advocacy at both YLC and the Los Angeles […]

YLC Analysis of DJJ Parole Realignment to the Counties

On October 19, 2010, the Public Safety budget trailer bill, A.B. 1628, was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, effective immediately upon this date of enactment. This new law included language that amends the Welfare & Institutions Code (WIC) and reorganizes and realigns juvenile parole from the California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) to […]

Sue Burrell Consults on Juvenile Competency Legislative Guide

Sue Burrell, YLC Staff Attorney, was invited to serve as a consultant on a soon to be released legislative guide on juvenile competence to stand trial. Along with a small group of judges, prosecutors and juvenile defenders, Sue provided feedback to Dr. Thomas Grisson and Dr. Kimberly Larson of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, […]

Corene Kendrick at NACC Annual Conference

Staff Attorney Corene Kendrick spoke at a training at the annual conference of the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) on October 21, 2010, in Austin, TX. The training focused on how attorneys representing youth in individual dependency and delinquency cases can effect systemic policy changes in their jurisdictions.

Deaths from Abuse and Neglect Increase among Children. . .

Deaths from Abuse and Neglect Increase among Children under L.A. County Oversight By Garrett Therolf  |  Los Angeles Times  — More children have died in each of the last two years from abuse or neglect after being under the eye of Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services despite assurances by county officials that the problem […]

Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs A.B. 12

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: Thursday, September 30, 2010 Contact: Aaron McLear Rachel Arrezola 916-445-4571 Gov. Schwarzenegger Takes Action to Extend Foster Care Benefits to Age 21, Improve California’s Foster Care System Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced he has signed legislation to improve the lives of children and youth in California’s foster care system including […]

LA Times Article re Mother’s Fight for Son’s Education

COLUMN ONE:  With Son Behind Bars, Mother Wages Battles For His Education By Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times  |  The Los Angeles Times  — She took on successive bureaucracies, demanding a proper education for Michael while he sat in juvenile hall and then county jail, his learning stagnating as he awaited trial. Now that he’s in state prison, […]

Series of Reports on Health of Young Men and Boys of Color

New reports show that place matters when it comes to the health of young men and boys of color. These reports, funded by The California Endowment, collectively show that place matters when it comes to the health of African-American and Latino boys and young men. Negative health outcomes for boys and young men of color […]

JDAI Training in Rhode Island

Staff Attorneys Sue Burrell, Deborah Escobedo, and Corene Kendrick conducted a training on Sept. 15 and 16, 2010, in Providence for Rhode Island facility staff. The training was on how to assess the conditions of confinement at the juvenile detention facility. The training was part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative […]

Carole Shauffer Quoted in Article Re Lack of Foster Homes

The Connecticut Mirror printed an article today about a new report by the Connecticut Voices for Children. The report says that hundreds of foster children continue to be placed into costly congregate homes instead of family settings because of a lack in foster homes. Carole Shauffer is quoted as saying that other states, including Maryland, […]

State Still Lacks Foster Homes

By Jacqueline Rabe  |  The Connecticutt Mirror  —   Despite efforts to reverse the trend, hundreds of foster children continue to be funneled into costly congregate homes instead of being placed in family settings, a new report says. About a quarter of some 4,000 abused or neglected children in the custody of the state Department of Children and Families […]

Jennifer Rodriguez Presents Florida Summit Keynote Address

On August 25, YLC Staff Attorney Jennifer Rodriguez delivered the keynote address for the 12th annual Florida Dependency Summit, an event that united 2000 child protective investigators, community-based care staff, foster parents, judges, attorneys, medical and mental health providers, child advocates, law enforcement, education and legal experts to discuss ways to improve Florida’s foster care […]

CDSS to Provide County Probation Access to CWS/CMS

Tuesday Morning  — Effective October 1, 2010, county probation departments will be able to have access to the County Welfare Services/Child Management System (CWS/CMS) database, the statewide system used for reporting case data on children in the Child Welfare System to provide policy makers with information. Probation departments will be the first entities other than public […]

YLC Participation in ABA Presidential Showcase

Staff Attorney Corene Kendrick and Board Member Michael Dale were among the speakers participating in a Presidential Showcase presentation on August 5, 2010, at the American Bar Association’s annual meeting in San Francisco. The panel, “Enforcing a Right to Counsel for Children: The Time is Now” explored the role that a lawyer should play for […]

Oral Argument in Leonard v. Wagner

The California Court of Appeal (1st DCA) has scheduled oral argument in Leonard v. Wagner for August 9. The case concerns foster care funding for youth with disabilities who turn 18. California provides foster care benefits to age 19 for youth in foster care who are still in high school or an equivalent program but […]

Two Recently Released Juvenile Justice Publications

Locked Up and Out – Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual, & Transgender – Youth in Louisiana’s Juvenile Justice System (2010) By Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana This report addresses how LGBT youth are funneled into the deep end of the juvenile justice system, the particular challenges that they face once there, and the lack of resources available specific to […]

Victory in the First Circuit: Sam and Tony M. v. Carcieri!

The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (which included Justice Souter sitting by courtesy) ruled in favor of the foster youth in Sam and Tony M. v. Carcieri, a class action suit against Rhode Island, seeking to reform the state’s foster care system. The Court of Appeals reversed the district court’s holding […]

JIDAN Featured in Story on Inequalities in Legal Representation

Youth Law Center was quoted in a Los Angeles Times story examining the representation by panel attorneys in Los Angeles County. The article focused on disparate pay for panel attorneys and reviewed what happened in two juvenile cases in which youth represented by panel attorneys received inadequate representation. The article cited the work of the […]

Juvenile Justice Diverges in Court

By Molly Hennessy-Fiske  |  Los Angeles Times  —   Travell Lincome was a 15-year-old special education student when he was charged two years ago with assault with a deadly weapon. He and a 16-year-old friend had allegedly thrown bleach at a woman and her baby at a South Los Angeles car wash. His friend, who faced similar charges, got […]

Article Re Juveniles in Isolation in Harris County

For Their Own Good – Harris County Juveniles Certified as Adults Are Jailed in Isolation 23 Hours a Day—Without Being Convicted of a Crime By Chris Vogel  |  Houston Press  — George awakes scared and confused. He’s had the dream again, the one where he is living back at home, where he can wander into the kitchen at […]

Mental Health Issues in California’s Juvenile Justice System

Youth Law Center’s work on placement delay was cited in a recent Berkeley Center on Criminal Justice Policy Brief, Mental Health Issues in California’s Juvenile Justice System (May 2010). The Policy Brief discusses a range is issues in serving youth with mental health needs in the California juvenile justice system, including the need for uniform […]

Justices Bar Life Terms for Youths Who Haven’t Killed

By The Associated Press  |   WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ruled that teenagers may not be locked up for life without chance of parole if they haven’t killed anyone. By a 5-4 vote Monday, the court says the Constitution requires that young people serving life sentences must at least be considered for release. The […]

Jennifer Rodriguez at Foster Care Education Symposium

YLC staff Attorney Jennifer Rodriguez presented on California’s policy efforts to improve education outcomes for youth placed in foster care at a symposium held by Georgetown Public Policy Institute’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform in Washington, D.C. The symposium was centered on the release of a paper, “Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and […]

YLC Signed on to Comments on NPREC Standards

The Youth Law Center signed on to comments on the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC) Standards for the Prevention, Detection, Response, and Monitoring of Sexual Abuse in juvenile facilities. The need for the standards is very great given findings from the most recent Bureau of Justice Statistics that 10.3 percent of institutionalized youth surveyed […]

Don’t Neglect our Foster Children

By Chronicle Editorial  |  San Francisco Chronicle  —   The last two years have brought a tremendous amount of pain to all of those who depend on government services, and California’s foster children are no exception. Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used his line-item veto power to cut $80 million in funding for Child Welfare Services. His staff insists […]

Gerald Singleton Joins YLC’s Board

The Youth Law Center is pleased to announce that Gerald Singleton has joined our board. Mr. Singleton’s law firm litigates personal injury, civil rights, criminal and medical marijuana cases in state and federal courts and is currently part of a group of three law firms representing over 1100 clients in suits against SDG&E stemming from […]

Jennifer Rodriguez Testifies at Senate Budget Subcommittee

YLC staff attorney Jennifer Rodriguez testified on a panel at the April 22, 2010, California Senate Budget Subcommittee hearing on Child Welfare Services. YLC’s testimony focused on the need to restore the $133 million veto to Child Welfare Services in order to ensure that vulnerable children in foster care are not further abused and neglected […]

YLC Working with Foster Youth Services

On April 19th, Jennifer Rodriguez, YLC Staff Attorney, facilitated a discussion with Northern California Foster Youth Services Coordinators on developing local collaborations to serve infants, toddlers and preschoolers in foster care. FYS coordinators identified a number of action steps such as: connecting with local Early Head Start/Head Start providers to educate them on how to […]

YLC, CYC and Foster CAre Ombudsman Trains Licensing

On April 14th, Jennifer Rodriguez, YLC Staff Attorney and Damon King, YLC Skadden Fellow presented a training with the California Youth Connection and the Foster Care Ombudsman’s Office to the California Community Care Licensing Division Children’s Residential Licensing Program Analysts. These CCLD staff investigate complaints about group homes and are critical to YLC’s efforts to […]

New YTFG Publication!

In an effort to strengthen philanthropic investments among its membership, the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG) asked a group of policy experts to provide recommendations on how foundations can work to encourage effective policy solutions on issues affecting youth in transition to adulthood. The issue brief, Connected by 25: Effective Policy Solutions for Vulnerable Youth, […]

Sue Burrell Speaker at Mental Health Conference

YLC Staff Attorney Sue Burrell was an invited speaker at the Forensic Mental Health Association of California’s annual conference held March 24-26, 2010, in Seaside, California. The group brings together judges, lawyers, court experts and staff from forensic mental health programs around the state to focus on legal and policy issues relating to mental health. […]

Former Law Clerk Awarded Scholarship

Meredith Alexander, 2009 Summer Law Clerk, has been awarded the Rosenthal Bar Exam Scholarship for 2010. The Rosenthal Bar Exam Scholarship Program recognizes outstanding graduating California law students with financial need who are embarking on careers in public service law by providing financial support for costs related to taking the California Bar Exam. Winners will […]

Mitesh Patel to Be Given Adult Role Model Award

Project Cornerstone has chosen Mitesh Patel, Youth Law Center law clerk, to receive its Adult Role Model Award. Project Cornerstone works with community organizations to help develop assets in youth in the Bay Area. For the past two years, Mitesh Patel—a third-year law student at Santa Clara University—has served as volunteer facilitator in the Fresh […]

“When we sentence youth to die in prison, God cries”

By Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, Ph.D.  |   Here is an article written by one of our 2007 Unsung Heroes: Every year as Jews gather on our holy days we remind ourselves that repentance is possible, forgiveness is possible and we pray that our lives do not become defined by our worst moments or our worst acts. […]

Lawsuit Against Marin Superior Court and Marin County

A lawsuit filed on March 10, 2010, in the California First District Court of Appeal charges Marin County and Marin Superior Court officials with violating state law and the Constitutional rights of youth detained in Marin County Juvenile Hall by preventing the children from being physically present for delinquency court hearings. Citing a lack of […]

Press Release re Kleppe v. Marin County

Lawsuit Filed to Stop Marin Juvenile Court Hearings by Videoconference FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 10, 2010 Contact: Corene Kendrick, 415-543-3379 x3909 Sue Burrell, 415-543-3379 x3911 Legal action taken against Marin Superior Court and Marin County by local advocacy group. (San Francisco, CA – March 10, 2010) – A lawsuit filed today in the First District […]

Viewpoint: Juvenile Justice

By Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben  |  Palisadian-Post  —   After reading the moving Viewpoint in last week’s Palisadian-Post, written by Pilar Garcia-Brown on behalf of the HRW Student Task Force at Palisades High, I can’t help but echo their concern for the injustice of our juvenile justice system. Every year as Jews gather on our holy days we remind […]

YLC Quoted in Article on Incarceration of Young Children

YLC Staff Attorney Sue Burrell was interviewed for the latest in a series of articles by the San Jose Mercury News on the incarceration of young children in Santa Clara County. After a learning of frequent incarceration of young children, the Santa Clara County Juvenile Justice Commission is issuing a report recommending the imposition a […]

Article re Jailing of the Very Young

Santa Clara County Commission Calls for End to Jailing of the Very Young By Karen de Sá  |  San Jose Mercury News  — The jailing of several young children last year in Santa Clara County has prompted a call by a court-appointed commission to end the detention of anyone age 12 and younger in the juvenile hall — […]

All Florida’s Abused Kids Deserve Lawyers

By Michael J. Dale and Louis M. Reidenberg  |  Sun Sentinel  —   It is truly a sad day for Florida’s abused and neglected children. Unlike children in 38 states, Florida’s children have no right to a free lawyer to represent them in abuse and neglect cases, even though by law, they are parties to the case. A bill, […]

Sue Burrell at the National Symposium on Indigent Defense

YLC Staff Attorney Sue Burrell was among the invited guests at the Department of Justice National Symposium on Indigent Defense, held February 18-19, 2010 in Washington, D.C. The Symposium was moderated by Professor Charles Ogletree of Harvard University, and the program included a keynote speech by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The Symposium was designed […]

YLC Staff Attorney Jennifer Rodriguez to Host Webinar

By Jennifer Rodriguez  | YLC Staff Attorney Jennifer Rodriguez will be facilitating a webinar on Improving Outcomes for Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care on February 25, 2009 from 10:00-11:30. The webinar is being hosted by the California Foster Youth Education and Career Network. For more information on the webinar, click below: Download Flyer

YLC’s Letter to the New York Times Re: Restraints

Sue Burrell and Corene Kendrick’s letter to the editor was printed in the New York Times on February 7, 2010, in response to Nicholas D. Kristof’s recent column comparing rape in juvenile facilities to abuses at Abu Ghraib. They put a spotlight on the use of hardware and fixed restraints like “restraint chairs” that are […]

Protecting Youth in Prisons From Violence and Abuse

By Sue Burrell and Corene Kendrick  |  New York Times  —   To the Editor: Nicholas D. Kristof compares the rape of children in juvenile justice facilities to the abuses in Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib, China or North Korea. Unfortunately, another barbaric practice is common in our nation’s juvenile correctional facilities — the use of hardware and fixed restraints like […]

5 Juvenile Detainees Report Staff Molestation

By Kristina Davis  |  San Diego Union Tribune  —   OTAY MESA — County probation officials are reviewing how they can better protect juveniles in custody after five boys at the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility reported in a national survey that they had been sexually victimized by a jail staff member. Of the 36 boys surveyed at East […]

YLC Joins Effort to Protect Medicaid for Youth in the JJ System

YLC has joined other state and national organizations to urge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to include in final health care legislation a provision in the House-passed bill (H.R. 3962, §1729) requiring states to suspend—rather than terminate—Medicaid benefits for youth in juvenile facilities. This issue arises out of YLC work on Improving Access to Health Care […]

Articles on Juvenile Representation in Daily Journal

The Daily Journal (California’s daily legal newspaper) published a two-part article written by YLC Staff Attorney Sue Burrell. Part One of the article is about the need for juvenile defender training and Part Two goes into detail about how the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center through the MacArthur Foundation’s Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network (JIDAN) is […]

PERSPECTIVE: Juvenile Defense Attorneys Speak Out

By Sue Burrell  |  Daily Journal  —  The first part of this article explored the special skills and training needed to represent young people in California juvenile delinquency cases, and the reasons competent representation is so critical. In 2009, a statewide survey of juvenile defense counsel conducted by the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center revealed serious deficiencies in training among […]

Daily Journal Article re Specialty Training

PERSPECTIVE:  Juvenile Delinquency:  The Case for Specialty Training By Sue Burrell  |  Daily Journal  — Each year, more than 100,000 young people in California face juvenile court delinquency petitions alleging violations of the law – more than in any other state. Most are represented by an attorney – and for good reason. The potential consequences of juvenile court […]

Evaluation of the Guardian Ad Litem System in Nebraska

A report assessing Nebraska’s system of child representation was released on January 9, 2010. The report was conducted by the National Association of Counsel for Children, Suffolk University law professor Erik Pitchal, child welfare expert Madelyn Freundlich, and Youth Law Center Staff Attorney Corene Kendrick. The report documents that Nebraska’s current structure for providing GAL […]

YLC Mourns Loss of Jack Daniel

The Youth Law Center mourns the loss of Jack Daniel who spent his entire legal career as a public interest advocate. Over the past 30 years he worked as a public defender and as a paralegal and lawyer in legal aid programs, including East Texas Legal Services, Central California Legal Services and California Rural Legal […]

All County Letter Re Notification to Relatives

The California Department of Social Services has issued an All County Letter (ACL) 09-86 concerning relative notification procedures required by AB 938, which YLC supported. ACL 09-86 advises counties of the requirements of AB 938 and P.L. 110-351, the federal Fostering Connections and Improving Adoptions Act, to provide notification to relatives of children being placed […]