This fall is manual season, and I am excited to announce the release of the 2017 edition of the North Carolina Juvenile Defender Manual. Like our other indigent defense manuals, this online manual can be viewed at no charge. If you’re interested in purchasing a soft-bound version of the manual, available later this month, visit this page.
This year, juvenile justice stakeholders around the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1 (1967), the United States Supreme Court decision that transformed practice in juvenile delinquency cases. Although a half century has passed since Gault was issued, the principles at stake—the right to counsel, the right to notice, the right to confrontation, the right against self-incrimination—are as relevant today as they were in 1967. As the Court recognized, juveniles are entitled to proceedings that “measure up to the essentials of due process and fair treatment.” Id. at 30. With these principles as a guide, we hope the new edition of the manual gives juvenile defenders the tools they need to represent their juvenile clients and provides useful information to others who work in this important part of our justice system.
As with other manuals in the Indigent Defense Manual Series, I have the happy duty of announcing the manual’s release. But, the credit for this edition belongs to David Andrews, who took over as lead author after the first edition. David is an assistant appellate defender in North Carolina’s Office of the Appellate Defender and, among other duties, serves as the liaison between that office and attorneys who handle juvenile delinquency cases in North Carolina. You can reach him at David.W.Andrews@nccourts.org.
The new Juvenile Defender Manual follows the release last month of a new edition of our immigration manual (available online free of charge or for purchase here). Next to be released, in early 2018, is a new edition of the manual on abuse, neglect, dependency, and termination of parental rights proceedings in North Carolina by my colleagues Sara DePasquale and Jan Simmons. Supported by funding from the Court Improvement Program of the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, the manual is a reference for all who work in that field, including judges, social services attorneys, parent attorneys, and guardian ad litem attorney advocates. Look for the announcement soon. In the meantime you can view the 2015 edition of the manual here.