Enhancing Youth Access to Justice: Indiana State Reform Planning Grant

The OJJDP FY 2015 Smart on Juvenile Justice: Enhancing Youth Access to Justice Initiative will provide funding to (1) develop effective, statewide, well-resourced model juvenile indigent defense legal delivery systems; (2) develop and implement standards of practice and policy for the effective management of such delivery systems; and (3) develop state or regional resource centers to help state, tribal, and local juvenile defense systems enhance the quality of legal representation, leverage resources, and collect and analyze data to measure the effectiveness of specific initiatives. This initiative will provide cost-effective and innovative training for the juvenile indigent defense bar, including public defenders and court-appointed counsel working on behalf of juvenile indigent defendants, particularly in traditionally underserved locations, including rural areas.

Category 1: Youth Access to Justice State Reform Planning Grants will support state and tribal efforts to develop strategies and policies that will ensure that every juvenile receives the guarantees of due process and equal protection and that their constitutional rights are honored. The Indiana Public Defender Council plans to develop a comprehensive statewide strategic plan to improve Indiana’s system of providing effective representation for all youth in the delinquency system. The Council will create an Advisory Group to work with project staff on developing and finalizing the strategic plan for building a statewide juvenile justice defense system. This group will identify and convene a diverse group of key standards from urban, rural and suburban communities, including other law enforcement and community advocates, to provide important input about the current indigent defense system, and strategies for improving representation and other due process protections. The Council will work collaboratively with the Youth Access to Justice Training and Technical Assistance provider and partner with the Children’s Law Center for implementation of grant objectives and deliverables. CA/NCF