ambivalent comment

I've really loved working the juvenile cases I've handled (only 3). The kids can be a challenge if they don't trust you and it's heartbreaking sometimes to see the way they can be treated. I heard a prosecutor call one of my clients “a punk-ass bitch” as he tried to convince another prosecutor to make sure my client got sent to juve (jail). My client walked out that night with his mom and that was an awesome thing for all of us -- me, the client, and his mother. Rehabilitation was the key to that one -- the judge agreed that going to juve was not going to be helpful to my client. A couple months later and teachers, social workers, and everyone else are praising my client up and down for his great improvement in attitude, work, etc. So stories like that are super-rewarding. The upside in working w/juveniles can be huge. FYI: You may know about this already, but the National Juvenile Defender Center has some good listserves where you can discuss juvenile defense issues. They also offer some good resources for juvenile defenders, including the Juvenile Defender Resource Guide.