The core mission of the Center for Juvenile Law and Policy is to foster systemic reform of the Los Angeles County juvenile justice system, through the direct legal and social services we provide to court-involved youth and their families. The heart and soul of the Center are our community legal clinics, where since 2004 the Center has advocated for children in the juvenile justice and education systems while shaping law students to serve in the public interest. From legal representation in juvenile court (JJC), due process hearings, disciplinary hearings, and IEP meetings (YJEC) through to post-conviction advocacy for youth sentenced to unjustly disproportionate adult prison sentences (JIFS Clinic and the CCCJP), and culminating in support upon re-entry (CCCJP), the CJLP intercedes on behalf of court-involved children at every stage of their legal trajectories.
Juvenile Justice Clinic (JJC)
Providing Holistic, Client-Centered Advocacy for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System
Youth Justice Education Clinic (YJEC)
Addressing the Causal Relationship Between Unmet Special-Education Needs and Court Involvement
Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic (JIFS)
Representing Wrongfully Convicted Youth and Juveniles Sentenced to Unjust Prison Sentences
Collateral Consequences of Conviction Justice Project (CCCJP)
Providing Free Legal Representation to Individuals with Past Criminal Justice Involvement
CJLP’s system reform efforts aim to reduce minority over-representation in the juvenile justice system; decrease the rate at which children are prosecuted as adults; interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline; and re-direct the juvenile justice system to its original purpose of individualized, community-based rehabilitation. In furtherance of these efforts, in addition to direct representation through the clinics, CJLP engages in advocacy, symposia, research and strategic litigation.
JIFS Clinic Students Set New Standard
Louie B: Sentenced to LWOP; resentenced under Miller in 2016, released on parole in 2020
CJLP Releases Report on Impact of Sheriff Gangs
Comprehensive report documents how “deputy gangs” have negatively impacted policing and the fairness of legal proceedings in Los Angeles.
Independent Forensic Gang Expert College
The IFGEC prepares individuals to provide court testimony explaining what drives young men and women to join gangs, thereby providing a balance to the often one-sided gang narrative in criminal trials.
CJLP Bolsters Fight Against COVID-19
The Juvenile Justice Clinic (JJC) and the Youth Justice Education Clinic (YJEC) responded immediately to the urgency of the pandemic for their young clients, many of whom are foster youth.
Center for Juvenile Law and Policy
Founders Hall 2nd Floor
919 Albany St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
cjlp@lls.edu
(213) 736-8339