Overview
The Supreme Court of the United States has recognized that neither the Fourteenth Amendment nor the Bill of Rights are for adults alone. As such, according to both Federal and State law, children have the right to counsel, regardless of the family’s financial status. The office of the Juvenile Public Defender, represents children who have been charged with Delinquent and Child in Need of Services (CHINS) offenses. In addition, the office represents children in Dependency cases in the capacity of Attorney for the Child and Guardian ad Litem.
Juvenile Public Defenders Office solely practices juvenile law and are well equipped to handle any matters relating to a child’s alleged delinquency, need for services, and/or dependency.
In most cases, an attorney is automatically appointed by the Court. In the instances that an attorney has not been appointed, an Application for a Court Appointed Attorney can be obtained from and submitted to the Clerk of Juvenile Court.