GPDSC Continues to Advocate for Juveniles Needing Representation

Representative Mary Margaret Oliver addresses the Council

After recent presentations to the Council by Karen Worthington, Southern Juvenile Defender Center, and the Honorable Mary Margaret Oliver, Chair of the House of Representative Judiciary Committee, Emmet Bondurant, GPDSC Chairperson gave assurance that even though initial attempts to secure funding for juvenile public defender positions failed; the Standards Council is willing to try again.

Highlights of Worthington's presentation urged the Standards Council to:

•  Continue to press for statewide funding for public defenders for children;

•  Create a standard for determining indigence that presumes indigence when the accused is a juvenile and;

•  Help enact legislation that would prohibit juveniles from waiving their right to counsel, or in the alternative, condition their waiver by requiring them to consult with an attorney.

Representative Oliver pledged political support and help for juvenile public defender funding. The Council proposed to consult with juvenile court judges on revising the standard for determining indigency to include the presumption of indigence for juvenile offenders.