Counsel at First Appearance (CAFA) Evaluation

May 2025 - Current

Summary

Children can face lifelong impacts from their interactions with the criminal justice system. Unlike adults, the State of Michigan has no agency responsible for representation of juvenile defendants, nor standards for indigent youth defense. Currently, whether or not youth receive representation at their first court appearance varies by county. YPL is partnering with the Juvenile Justice Clinic (JJC) at the University of Michigan Law School to evaluate their CAFA pilot intervention in select Michigan counties. Through this pilot, juvenile defendants facing felony charges are offered representation at their first time in court, an intervention that has been shown to provide stronger protection of rights, strengthen the fairness of court process, improve release decisions and court efficiency, and reduce costs. Findings from the evaluation are expected to help support efforts to scale CAFA statewide. 

In a courthouse, female lawyer next to a teen boy at a table with a judge in the background

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