NAPD 2024 Women's Virtual Conference

What can a talking cartoon dog teach us about how to be a good leader? Well, it turns out a lot actually. This session will cover how the best children's show ever made can give us tips on being growth focused and supportive leaders.

In this session, you'll learn how to build a comprehensive defense team for youth with no budget, through collaboration with community organizations and adults with lived experience.

Children occupy a unique position in our public systems. Once treated as miniature adults, our perception development has led, over time, to granting children leniency when determining the consequences of their behavior. The special legal status bestowed on youth, in particular, is based on a well-established understanding of children’s social and psychological development—that they should be held less responsible and culpable for their actions, and that they are capable, through the ongoing developmental process, of rehabilitation.3 These foundational legal and moral principles protect children from criminalization and extend safeguards that shield them from the harsh penalties levied on adults.

A discussion on the severe shortage of female attorneys practicing criminal defense in rural communities and steps being taken in Michigan to try to address this issue.