Georgetown Law Juvenile Justice Clinic - 2020-2022 Racial Justice and Juvenile Defense Fellowship

21 Oct 2019 4:10 PM | Mike Murphy (Administrator)

THE GEORGETOWN LAW JUVENILE JUSTICE CLINIC is hiring for a 2020-2022 position in its Racial Justice and Juvenile Defense Fellowship.

About the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative

As one of the first legal clinics of its kind, the Georgetown Law Juvenile Justice Clinic continues to be one of the premier law school clinics in the country. The Juvenile Justice Clinic is a law school program in which students represent youth charged with misdemeanor and felony crimes in the District of Columbia under close faculty supervision. The Clinic provides highly effective representation to their clients by protecting the youth's rights in the juvenile justice system and working to improve the youth's chances of becoming a productive citizen.

In 2015, the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic expanded its outreach with the creation of the Juvenile Justice Initiative to tackle the most pressing issues in the juvenile justice system, including racial and socioeconomic disparities, the school-to-prison pipeline and the criminalization of normal adolescence. Together, both the Clinic & the Initiative aim to raise the quality and scope of juvenile defense practice in the District of Columbia, the Mid-Atlantic region, and nationally through continued direct representation, policy advocacy, and training for juvenile defenders during law school and beyond. 

About the Racial Justice and Juvenile Defense Fellowship

The Racial Justice and Juvenile Defense Fellowship was designed in 2018 to advance racial justice advocacy in the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Initiative (GJJI). During the two-year fellowship, the Fellow works with GJJI staff to improve the systems youth encounter through policy reform and to develop strategies and resources to help juvenile defenders incorporate racial justice arguments into their youth advocacy.

The Racial Justice and Juvenile Defense Fellowship combines elements of legal research and writing, project management, community outreach and policy advocacy. The Fellow will be supervised by Clinic Director Kristin Henning and Policy Director Eduardo Ferrer. The Fellow will be expected to begin the fellowship in August 2020, ending in August 2022 and must be able to commit to the two full years.

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Work with GJJI and the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) to manage and maintain The Racial Justice Toolkit—an online repository of resources that equip juvenile defenders with empirical research, sample motions and other resources to raise racial justice arguments on behalf of their clients.

  • Work with GJJI and NJDC staff to operate and plan the Ambassadors for Racial Justice (ARJ), a program for defenders who are interested in challenging racial injustice in the juvenile justice system. ARJ was designed to inspire enthusiastic, dedicated frontline juvenile defenders to assume leadership roles in developing strategies to combat racial inequities in their respective jurisdictions and courthouses, and throughout the country.

  • Develop racial justice training curricula and materials for juvenile defenders.

  • Planning and hosting community listening sessions about race and juvenile justice, locally.

  • Legal research and writing projects about race and juvenile justice, as assigned by Kristin Henning and Eduardo Ferrer. For example, Professor Henning is currently authoring a book on race, adolescence, and policing, so there will be opportunities for research to assist with this  project.

  • Updating online systems such as the GJJI website and assist with social media outreach as needed and relevant to racial justice work.

Additionally, the Racial Justice Fellow may:

  • Assist faculty in the Police for Tomorrow fellowship by researching best practices and proposing strategies for improving community-police relations for youth of color.

  • Implement a Police and Youth Engagement symposium that will bring together police, youth, community leaders, and stakeholders to discuss strategies and solutions to strengthen youth and police interactions within the District of Columbia.

  • Manage "Youth in Proximity Network", a program that connects our clinic clients with community volunteers who can meet their needs. Through the program, our clients gain access to resources and support, ranging from school supplies and clothing donations, to community service opportunities and job placement assistance.

  • Design and execute a project of his or her own that advances GJJI’s racial justice mission, during the second year of the fellowship. Fellows with clinical experience in criminal or juvenile defense may also have some opportunity to represent clients in delinquency proceedings during this final year.

Skills and Qualifications:

  The Fellow will:

  • Possess a J.D. degree;

  • Possess strong writing, communication and public speaking skills, the ability to manage independently long-term projects from conception to completion, and a willingness to collaborate with other clinic colleagues and juvenile system stakeholders;

  • Be a strategic thinker;

  • Have a demonstrated interest in racial justice, juvenile justice, criminal law, civil rights, and/or social justice.  

Deadline:

For the full application, please visit here:

https://www.law.georgetown.edu/experiential-learning/clinics/juvenile-justice-clinic/fellowships-and-internships/racial-justice-and-juvenile-defense-fellowship/

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