North Carolina Juvenile Defender State Enhancement Program

The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, in partnership with the North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services and the North Carolina Office of Juvenile Defenders, will implement a North Carolina Juvenile Defender State Enhancement Program to (1) analyze the state’s current juvenile defense delivery systems by identifying critical program, practice, and policy needs and gaps; areas for improvement; and aspects that are working and may be replicable across jurisdictions; (2) develop and implement a specialized training program for staff and stakeholders involved with assisting juvenile offenders within the juvenile justice system; (3) increase the number of resources for juvenile defenders and their ability to easily access resources; and (4) improve the state courts’ data collection and reporting capacity, specifically relating to youth and their legal representation, and access to services pre- and post-adjudication.