A Closing Reflection on a Month Inside Juvenile Justice I had a clean way to close this series. But after reading the notes for my first appointed client of the day, it simply didn’t feel honest anymore. My new client, seventeen. When I checked in with the court coordinator, she looked at the notes on… Continue reading The Ones You Learn to Recognize
Tag: juvenile justice
Not One System. Both.
What It Means to Be 17 in Texas with Cases in Two Courts Two of my clients currently have open cases in the juvenile system. Because they were charged with new offenses at 17, they are also now facing charges in adult court. They are navigating both systems at the same time. This is what… Continue reading Not One System. Both.
The Case Doesn’t End in Court
What’s Really at Stake By now, it should be clear that in Texas, turning 17 changes everything. The same behavior, the same circumstances, the same child—placed in a different system, with different consequences. But for some children, the consequences don't stop at the courtroom door. I represented a 17-year-old who is not a U.S. citizen.… Continue reading The Case Doesn’t End in Court
When Childhood Stops Counting: A Shoe, a Sleepover and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Every parent knows how quickly a simple disagreement among kids can escalate. Take, for example, a recent case involving my client, a 17-year-old girl at a sleepover. She and another girl started arguing over a boy. Tempers flared, and in a moment of frustration, my client threw a shoe. The hosts asked her to leave.… Continue reading When Childhood Stops Counting: A Shoe, a Sleepover and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
On (In)justice 