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Juvenile Defense Project

Project Overview

The 6th Amendment to United State Constitution entitles every person to an attorney when being taken to court to face allegations of wrongdoing. Children involved in the juvenile justice system are often the most vulnerable and need well trained skilled attorneys to help them. The Indiana Public Defender Council’s Juvenile Defense Project is working to assist and improve juvenile defense services in Indiana’s courts to ensure that every child has access to this critical legal help.

Goals and Objectives 

  1. Ensure that all youth have access to counsel at all critical stages of delinquency cases, including early appointment at detention hearings or initial hearings when the child is not detained.
  2. Create a strong system of post-dispositional representation for youth through increased state resources, including appellate representation and civil legal services upon re-entry.
  3. Create a system of comprehensive and thorough legal advocacy which recognizes juvenile defense as a specialization. This includes increasing the availability of trainings and support services throughout the state.
  4. Enhance the current juvenile data collection to promote accuracy and to collect key defense data indicators statewide.

Project Staff

Joel Wieneke
Senior Staff Attorney
JWieneke@pdc.in.gov

Jill Johnson
Trial Unit Coordinator
JiJohnson1@pdc.in.gov

Rachel Roman-Lagunas
Trial Unit Coordinator
RRomanLagunas@pdc.in.gov

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