Category Archives: Juveniles

Will Supreme Court Decision be Death Knell for Juvenile Life without Parole?

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Tamar Birckhead

If I had to name a single U.S. Supreme Court case that effectively highlights the entrenched problems of the American criminal justice system, it would be Montgomery v. Louisiana: from the 1963 murder of Charles Hurt Jr., a white deputy sheriff … Continue reading →

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Youth Justice Leadership Institute: Now Accepting Applications

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Tamar Birckhead

Know an advocate or organizer who wants to set the youth justice world on fire?   The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)  is now accepting applications to the 2016-17 Youth Justice Leadership Institute.   The Institute is a robust, year-long fellowship … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Letters to a Lifer — the Boy “Never to be Released”

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Tamar Birckhead

By David Pasley, UNC Law 2017 Letters to a Lifer: the Boy “Never to be Released” by Cindy Sanford, with a foreword by Jeanne Bishop, is a powerful and touching narrative that illustrates the folly of life sentences for juvenile … Continue reading →

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Posted in Books, Guest Blogger, Juveniles, Miller v. Alabama, Sentencing, Uncategorized, Victimized Children, Visual Arts | Comments Off on Book Review: Letters to a Lifer — the Boy “Never to be Released”

Notes from the Field: Juvenile Court and the Children who End Up There

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Tamar Birckhead

By Kellie Mannette, Esq. Law Office of Kellie Mannette, PLLC, Chapel Hill, North Carolina It’s been two and a half years since I first met a child I will call Greg. At the time, he was barely 14 and charged … Continue reading →

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Posted in Criminal /Juvenile Defense, Guest Blogger, Juvenile Court, Juveniles, North Carolina, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Notes from the Field: Juvenile Court and the Children who End Up There

We Must Stop Criminalizing Adolescence

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Tamar Birckhead

Recently I represented a 14-year-old boy, who I’ll call Wayne, in a local juvenile court in North Carolina. Upon entering the courthouse, Wayne, who was alleged to be “undisciplined,” had to walk past court officers and go through the metal … Continue reading →

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KIDS in Jail: Narrative Nonfiction about Youth Incarceration

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Tamar Birckhead

By Jane Guttman, Correctional Educator and Author This story emerged from my work inside a juvenile hall school for the past 14 years.  I have seen a range of incidents, cruelty, and traumas that kids have endured in the juvenile … Continue reading →

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Posted in Books, Conditions of Confinement, Guest Blogger, Juveniles, Sentencing, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Juvenile Defense: Small Steps can have Ripple Effects, One Case at a Time

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Tamar Birckhead

Recently I was in juvenile delinquency court in North Carolina with one of my clients, whom I’ll call Alexis. The 13-year-old African-American girl had just heard from the judge that she would continue to be detained in a juvenile jail … Continue reading →

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Posted in Conditions of Confinement, Criminal /Juvenile Defense, Delinquency, Juvenile Court, Juveniles, North Carolina | 1 Comment

Robbed of Childhood and Chances: Ferguson and Beyond

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Tamar Birckhead

By Mae Quinn, Professor of Law, Washington University in St. Louis When I was a teen I fought viciously with my sister, hung out in places I should not have been, and walked the streets with my friends. A white … Continue reading →

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Posted in Guest Blogger, Juveniles, Race, Class, Ethnicity, Reports, School to Prison Pipeline | 2 Comments

Youth and Interrogation

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Tamar Birckhead

By Kevin Lapp, Associate Professor of Law, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles Advocates, courts, and policymakers across the nation are considering how far the Supreme Court’s “children are different in a way that matters” criminal justice jurisprudence should extend. One of … Continue reading →

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25 Year-Old Adolescents?

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Tamar Birckhead

By Kevin Lapp, Associate Professor of Law, Loyola Law School|Los Angeles Adolescents are neither children nor adults. But who falls within the category of adolescents? Given the great advantages of age-based distinctions in clarity and efficiency, when does adolescence start … Continue reading →

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