This week there is a new tip and just the single training reminder. Please make sure to subscribe to the OJD blog and follow our OJD Twitter and Facebook pages as well to get updates, relevant articles, and other juvenile defense-related content throughout the week. Have a wonderful week and remember knowledge is power!!
Tip of the Week
Relevant Ages in Juvenile Court (Other than Age of Jurisdiction)
While NC is poised to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction, here are some other relevant ages in the Juvenile Code:6Earliest age (date of criminal act) one can be a delinquent juvenile or undisciplined juvenile.10Youngest age an alleged delinquent juvenile may be fingerprinted or photographed.Youngest age a delinquent juvenile may be committed to a youth development center.11Youngest age a delinquent juvenile may be registered as a juvenile sex offender.13Youngest age an alleged delinquent juvenile may be transferred to superior court.Under 16*
(as of 2015)Age at which an alleged delinquent juvenile’s admission or confession must be excluded if the juvenile’s parent/guardian or attorney was not present during an in-custody interrogation.16-18Age at which an alleged delinquent juvenile must be notified of the right to have a parent or guardian present, as well as an attorney, before an admission or confession may be used against the juvenile.
Training
Parent Attorney and Juvenile Defender conferences Registration end today at 5 PM
Registration is now open for the 2019 Parent Attorney and Juvenile Defender conferences. The Parent Attorney Conference will be held Thursday, Aug. 8 and the Juvenile Defender Conference will be held Friday, Aug. 9, and both would begin at 8:30 a.m. each day. Both conferences, cosponsored by the School of Government and the Office of Indigent Defense Services, will be held at the School of Government on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, and offer approximately six hours of CLE credit. The Parent Attorney Conference provides training for attorneys, who represent parents in abuse, neglect, dependency, and termination of parental rights proceedings. The Juvenile Defender Conference provides training for attorneys who represent children in delinquency proceedings. Please feel free to download the Juvenile Defender Conference agenda here and the Parent Attorney Conference agenda here. If you have any questions, please contact Program Manager Kate Jennings, or if you have questions about the course content, please contact Program Attorney Austine Long.
Job Opportunity
The Council for Children’s Rights (CFCR) serves as the public defender for children in Mecklenburg County. Through a contract with the North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services, CDT attorneys represent all children charged with crimes in juvenile delinquency court. In addition to performing the public defender role in juvenile court, CDT represents every child who is facing civil commitment to a mental health hospital or residential treatment facility. As expressed-interest attorneys, CDT causes children’s voices to be heard in court and protects their constitutional and statutory rights. CFCR is the only specialized juvenile defense agency in North Carolina.
CFCR is looking to hire a Director of the Children’s Defense team. For more information, click here.
Articles
Registration of Juvenile Offenders
Recent publication and updates on “SORNA” Sex Offender Registration Notification Act In 2016, the Supplemental Guidelines for Juvenile Registration under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act were published in the Federal Register. However, North Carolina has not yet implemented this act. To learn more about SORNA visit: www.smart.gov/caselaw/Case-Law-Update-2019-Compiled.pdf
Dual Jurisdiction Youth
UNC School of Government Professor Jacqui Greene, who co-authored a bulletin on “dual jurisdiction youth,” those youth in both the child welfare and delinquency courts, has written a follow up article on the intersection of dual jurisdiction youth and the upcoming RTA changes.
Legislation
Senate Bill 413, which includes recommendations from the Juvenile Jurisdiction Advisory Committee, passed the House and has passed in the Senate for concurrence. It was presented to the governor for his signature on July 24th. Once the bill is final, we’ll be sure to get a breakdown on the OJD site and of course will be included in the upcoming training materials.