The Juvenile Unit of the Public Defender's Office values zealous, client-centered advocacy. Our Deputy Public Defenders aim to achieve diversion and acquittals on the front-end; and on the back-end, to decrease the number of detained youth, to increase successful completions of probation, and to connect youth with community services so that they can succeed after court supervision. The Juvenile Unit has taken various steps to leverage resources to provide post-disposition representation to juvenile clients. Recently, we obtained funding for a youth advocate for two of the seven attorneys (the Community Lawyering Youth Project). We also obtained another youth advocate and a half-time attorney through Byrne JAG funds as part of the creation of a county-wide Youth Justice Initiative. Through collaboration with the community and Probation Department we are seeking improvement in reentry outcomes of youth returning from high-level incarceration placements.   
  
The anticipated caseload of the attorney funded by the National Juvenile Defense Center (NJDC) fellowship is 80-100 clients for the initial eight (8) month period, comprised of: referral from existing post-disposition attorneys, AB12 Clients (youth in group home placements) and sealing/expungement cases (eliminating employment barriers for juvenile offenders).  
  
The NJDC seeks host organizations to pilot the Juvenile Post-Disposition Reentry Legal Fellowships, as an initiative to support the success of justice-involved youth returning to their communities by removing legal barriers to education, employment and housing. Under this program, the NJDC provides the Legal Fellow salary, training and travel expenses, and the host organizations provide fringe benefits, malpractice insurance, appropriate workspace and supplies.