YOUTH DEFENSE CENTER INC
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Mission Statement
Youth Defense Center Inc. (YDC) is dedicated to providing quality, comprehensive legal representation for young people ensnared in the family, criminal and juvenile justice systems. By deploying disruptive innovation, our aim is to do so in a manner that will enable clients to maintain their dignity, and whenever possible, their liberty. YDC is mindful of and can relate to the cultural and economic backgrounds of its clientele. We will utilize that understanding to provide the highest quality communication in the delivery of our services to our clients. Our referrals of services will be with individuals and organizations like-minded with our mission.
About This Cause
Our Story In 2016, a group of experienced lawyers discussed the state of the system of justice as it impacts the youth within the local community. They assessed the quality of representation provided by institutional providers and found it wanting. Although individual attorneys were experienced, they saw that as individuals they weren’t benefitting from economies of scale or shared expertise. The children would benefit from representation by a team of seasoned professionals. Seeing a dire need that was unmet, three of the lawyers, in a leap of faith, agreed that the children of our community needed quality counsel. They chose to take the mantle of leadership by uniting to form the Youth Defense Center, Inc. The YDC team pledges to raise the bar in the quality of representation and dignity bestowed upon the youth we defend. To that end we anticipate that they will ultimately develop into significant contributors to society. Innovative Advocacy The criminal justice system and the juvenile justice system were designed at a time and in an environment significantly different from the world we know today. Outdated notions of crime and punishment frequently handcuff those empowered to address alleged acts of delinquency and criminality. Old solutions to new problems yield haphazard results. For a system designed to protect the not guilty to the extent that no innocent person is punished, that is unacceptable What is necessary is viewing the “justice system” with a fresh perspective; refusing to be encumbered by failed methods and harsh guidelines. Just now in 2017, those who administer criminal justice are recognizing the notion that drug addiction is a disease and not criminal activity. By necessity, at least some of the drug offenses require handling divergent from the manner done in the past. Recognizing that entrenched ways of handling antisocial behavior fail to adequately address the root problems, methodologies require modification. Attitudes have to change. The delivery of representation must adapt. The accused needs innovative advocacy. Youth/Adolescent Law Young adults and teens are the most at risk segment of our population as they are a disparately targeted group within the criminal justice system. The Youth Law Practice provides the benefits of YDC’s team-based representation to those under the age of 18 who are criminally accused, whether they are prosecuted as adults in Supreme Court or as delinquents in Family Court. In addition, we represent children who are alleged to have been neglected or abused by their legal caregivers. Our attorneys have decades of experience representing these young people in Family Court and young adults in Supreme Court. The YDC attorneys work as a team on behalf of our clients. They also collaborate with educational, social and mental health specialists, as well as with community organizations. Criminal Defense At YDC, each client is represented by a team, rather than by an individual attorney. We strive to provide the best possible services to our clients by combining the knowledge, skills, and attention of all of the team members. YDC lawyers directly understand that social and economic needs often motivate criminal behavior. Our lawyers genuinely relate to the clients we represent. Based on our extensive experience our attorneys can identify services for our clients including alternatives to incarceration, educational support, psychiatric and psychological referrals, and drug treatment services. Our team approach embraces significant interaction between our attorneys and our clients, their families, the courts, and outside social service providers. Community Empowerment YDC’s Community Empowerment Project supports and complements its direct service work by participating in community events and responding to community questions and concerns about the criminal justice system, police interaction, and the chain reaction that stems from those arrests. Through educational workshops YDC discusses with community residents their experiences and concerns with respect to the criminal justice system, the appropriate role of law enforcement, other government agencies, and the rights and responsibilities of ordinary citizens. YDC’s mandate is to empower our community to recognize their roles in a healthy democracy, with or without flaws. We at YDC... Respect the principles embraced in the Bill of Rights. Encourage accountability in not only our clients but in those who demand it of them. Strive for justice for those who typically view the world as a place that devalues them instead of a place that embraces their potential as productive members of the greater community. Intervene on behalf of those without a voice in the trajectory of their futures and their liberty. See that not only are young people collectively our future, but that each young person's future is worth fighting for. Treat every client as a unique and valued individual.