235.32 sec. 001 - Youth Justice Law, Practice and Policy (Fall 2023)
Instructor: Jonathan Laba (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
Instructor: Laura Ridolfi
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Units: 2
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
W 6:25 PM - 8:15 PM
Location: Law 134
From August 23, 2023
To November 29, 2023
Course End: November 29, 2023
Class Number: 32048
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 14
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 30
As of: 02/07 02:03 PM
This course will provide an overview of the philosophy, objectives and evolution of the youth justice system, with an emphasis on examining current issues from a practice and policy perspective. These issues will include the integration of adolescent development principles into youth justice policy, the goals and best practices in juvenile “disposition” (sentencing), the presence of pervasive racial and ethnic disparities, the school to prison pipeline, whether to “raise the age” of juvenile court jurisdiction, and the transfer of youth to the adult criminal system. While the course will examine national trends, there will be focused examination of reform policies California has adopted and rejected in recent years, as well as reforms the State is considering adopting in the near future. Both doctrinal study and practice exercises will be employed to allow students to gain an understanding of the system as it exists today as well as how to work toward system reform as a defense attorney, prosecutor, policy advocate, or as a pro bono practitioner.
Jonathan Laba, a 1996 graduate of Berkeley Law, currently supervises the juvenile unit in the Contra Costa County Public Defender’s Office. For most of his career, Jonathan has augmented his “day job” as an adult public defense trial and managing attorney with extensive youth justice policy advocacy efforts, including legislative and amicus work, training of juvenile defenders across the state, and engagement with community-based youth justice organizations. After teaching the Criminal Law Ethics Seminar for a decade at Berkeley Law, Jonathan was excited to co-develop and co-teach this course with Laura Ridolfi for the first time in fall 2022, aiming to introduce students to both the theoretical underpinnings of the juvenile legal system as well as how to engage with, and improve, the system as a lawyer and advocate.
Laura Ridolfi, a 2005 graduate of Berkeley Law, is a Racial Justice and Well-Being Strategist with the W. Haywood Burns Institute (BI). Laura has over fifteen years of experience at BI challenging racial hierarchies in the administration of justice. Laura works at the local, state and national level changing policy and practice to promote equity and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities. Laura partners with community-rooted organizations and advocacy groups on policy change in California that invest resources into community alternatives to the legal system and reduce the harms of system involvement on the lives of people of color. The direction of Laura’s policy work is guided by those closest to the harms of the legal system and centers the voice and experience of directly impacted youth and families. The policy advocacy has resulted in numerous changes in California law. Laura advocates for democratizing youth justice data and promoting data transparency in service of system change and promoting equity. She is the author of numerous BI reports that highlight inequities in the criminal legal system and advocate for change. Prior to joining Burns Institute, Laura worked for several youth and criminal justice organizations and was a Fulbright Fellow in Kenya, where she studied the youth justice system.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
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Exam Notes: (None) Class requires a series of papers, assignments, or presentations throughout the semester
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Criminal Law
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Race and Law
Social Justice and Public Interest
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Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Required Books are in blue
- Burning down the House
Bernstein
Edition: 2014
ISBN: 9781595589569
e-Book Available: unknown
Price: $26.95
Note: prices are sampled from internet bookstores. Law-school Bookstore prices are unavailable at this time. - Rage of Innocence
Henning
Edition: 2021
ISBN: 9781524748906
e-Book Available: unknown
Price: 30.00
Note: prices are sampled from internet bookstores. Law-school Bookstore prices are unavailable at this time.