Meet CJDC's New Skadden Fellow and Staff Attorney, Emma Mclean-Riggs
Emma  Mclean-Riggs is a 2019 Skadden Fellow, representing people placed on the sex offender registry as juveniles. Before coming to CJDC, Emma spent two years as a law clerk, first for Judge Carlos F. Lucero of the Tenth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals and then for Justice Monica M. Márquez of the Colorado Supreme Court. She received her juris doctorate from the University of California Berkeley School of Law. While there, she worked with several student groups to defend the rights of incarcerated youth, and was active in the National Lawyers Guild chapter, Queer Caucus, and the  Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law and Justice . Before attending law school, she received her undergraduate degree in sociology from Reed College. Emma is committed to defending individuals and communities impacted by interpersonal violence from violence perpetrated by the state.

CJDC Bids Farewell to Long-time Board Member and Former Chair, Leslie  Krueger-Pagett

The CJDC Board of Directors recognizes Leslie Krueger-Pagett for her long and dedicated service to CJDC.  Leslie was one of the original founding members of the Colorado Juvenile Defender Center and served two separate terms as the chairperson of our Board.  She is now serving our community as a magistrate in the Court System of the City and County of Denver.
 
In addition to being instrumental in the founding of our organization, Leslie was consistently a leader in all aspects of our organization.  She fearlessly helped advocate to change the harsh juvenile laws in our state including reforms in the jailing of juveniles, direct file law, expungement and legislation to correct the unconstitutional laws  that allowed mandatory life sentences for juveniles.  
 
Leslie is also an outstanding lawyer with extraordinary expertise in juvenile defense.  We love her dearly and will miss her!  We wish her the very best as her time on the CJDC board has come to an end!
Schedule Your Colorado Gives Day Donation to CJDC Early

Colorado's largest day of giving, Colorado Gives Day, is taking place on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 . On this day, thousands of people come together to support Colorado nonprofits like ours.

When you donate to the Colorado Juvenile Defender Center, you're helping us ensure excellence in juvenile defense and justice for all children in Colorado. Our program, Education First, is one of the only non-profit programs in the state that provides direct legal representation for Colorado youth in school suspension, expulsion and special education proceedings. Our program, Believe In Youth, provides direct legal representation for juvenile expungement and deregistration cases thus removing barriers to education, employment and housing.

Please help us reach our goal of raising $10,000 this Colorado Gives Day. Thanks to the $1 Million Incentive Fund from Community First Foundation and FirstBank, your donation goes further on Colorado Gives Day. You can   schedule your Colorado Gives Day donation to CJDC  , starting today. Or remember to donate to us on Colorado Gives Day.
CJDC/OADC Immigration Consequences CLE

Thursday, December 5, 2019
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Denver CO & Webinar

During this training, Hans Meyer and Ashley Harrington will explain the different immigration consequences of adult convictions, juvenile adjudications, and contact with the criminal justice system.  They will then describe relief available to juveniles, both in immigration court and in affirmative applications.  Finally, they will update attendees on changes to immigration law, policy, and enforcement under the current administration and its impact on juveniles in the justice system. 
De-criminalizing Childhood, One Case at a Time

Our education law attorney, Elie Zwiebel, continues to fight for his clients every single day both inside and outside of  the courtroom.  One of his clients who recently graduated high school is looking at a bright future ahead, here is her story as told by Elie himself:

My client is a bright young woman whom probation referred to as "exemplary" and who met all the requirements for deregistration eligibility. The judge was touched by how my client tearfully owned her actions and took responsibility for her place in the community. Having recently graduated from high school and eagerly anticipating her next educational and employment steps, she is now able to forge ahead without the lingering worry of whether something that happened years ago will limit her potential for all her years to come. 
We Need Pro-Bono Criminal Defense Lawyers
to Represent Juveniles in Municipal Court

CJDC frequently receives calls from youth who are seeking lawyers for their municipal case and cannot afford to hire one. Since we are not currently staffed to handle municipal cases, CJDC is compiling a list of criminal defense attorneys willing to represent juveniles in municipal court pro bono.  We will then distribute this list to families and youth who contact CJDC seeking representation.

If you are interested please contact CJDC at admin@cjdc.org with your law firm, name and geographic areas where you are willing to accept cases (e.g. Aurora, Broomfield, Denver).
Strong Colorado Delegation at National Juvenile Defender Center's Leadership Summit in October

Each year the National Juvenile Defender Center hosts a juvenile defense leadership summit where attorneys and advocates from across the country come together for two and a half days of training, networking, and community building.  This year, there were over 10 attendees from Colorado including CJDC's own Cobea Becker, Amanda Butler, Lindy Frolich, Holly Gummerson, and Michael Juba.

Thank you to NJDC for hosting us, and here's to another year of #JusticeForYouth across Colorado!
Dignity in Schools Campaign Week

As part of the Dignity in Schools Campaign Week in October CJDC staff members joined Padres Jovenes Unidos (PJU) who took to the streets in front of Denver Public Schools. These passionate students braved the windy cold weather to make their voices heard. According to PJU, Denver Public Schools (DPS) spends over $10million a year to police students. That 10M+ belongs to students - not police.

Students are demanding DPS to:
            • Remove SROs (school resource officers') from all Denver schools. 
            • Invest in student supports like mental health, counselors and RJ.
"We demand an end to our criminalization and profiling. For students of color, police does not equal safety!"   Learn more about   the work PJU is doing in our communities to end the school-to-prison pipeline.