Attorney Resource Guide: Youth and Plea Bargaining from Montclair State University
This guide, created by Dr. Tarika Daftary-Kapur, Dr. Tina Zottoli, Kimberly Echevarria, and Aliya Brinbaum at Montclair State University, seeks to help defense attorneys communicate more effectively with young clients. We offer developmentally informed guidance for how to help youth understand the plea-bargaining process and make informed decisions.
This guide is divided into three sections:
Communicating with Youth: This section focuses on using developmentally appropriate language and other techniques that can help you build rapport with youth clients and get them to open up and talk about their cases. We also provide strategies for explaining legal options and potential consequences with youth.
Youth Decision Making and Plea Bargaining: In this section, we provide an overview of the ways that the decision making of youth can differ from that of adults, and we discuss developmental vulnerabilities that can put youth at risk for adverse outcomes in the plea context.
Special Considerations when Speaking with Justice-Involved Youth: In this section we discuss the impact of trauma, tools when working with youth with cognitive impairments, and techniques to build rapport with youth who might be coming across as defiant.