Another Friday in the books! Thanks for stopping by to read up on OJD’s week! And stay tuned next week for a brand new A Lawyer’s View installment!
First, an Announcement from AOC:
NCAOC’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) has provided legal advice and guidance to court officials around the State regarding remote juvenile hearings and confidentiality of exhibits. This is a brief FAQ regarding technology, sharing screens and other topics surrounding WebEx hearings in juvenile court. Please read the full document here. It is not intended and should not be interpreted as legal advice or guidance to parties to individual proceedings before the courts.
Tip of the Week
Suppression motions aren’t often used in the District Court setting (outside DWI cases), however juvenile court offers many opportunities for suppression. The juvenile code outlines the procedure for filing a motion to suppress (§7B-2408.5) and it may be made either in writing before the adjudicatory hearing or orally during the hearing. Consider whether or not your client’s statement or identifications may be subject to suppression. Remember – “in custody” is an objective test! The test is whether a “reasonable juvenile” in the position of the respondent would believe him/herself to be in custody OR that s/he had been deprived of freedom of action in some significant way, and is not based on the subjective intent of the interrogator or the perception of the person under questioning. That means if your client is in the principal’s office and the SRO is standing in front of the door, would your client feel free to leave?
Thank You!
To everyone that joined our Covid-19: State of our Mental Health Part II webinar last night! Thank you to our speakers, Dorothy Hairston-Mitchell, Jesse Edmonds & Nikki Croteau-Johnson you three did wonderful, giving great insight into our youth in and out of the juvenile system and how best to serve them during these times. From discussions about school, detention, ways to get active and to monitor our children’s mental health, we discussed it all. A bit of everyone joined too, from students to law professionals to the general public. Such great questions and comments! Big takeaway: It takes a village to raise a child.
Don’t Forget!
OJD is looking for guest bloggers to contribute to our new series: A Lawyer’s View. Defenders and those in juvenile justice are welcome to write in on topics of their expertise: secure custody, mental health in juveniles, etc! We want to hear from you! There’s plenty more weeks left in the year! Reach out to LaTobia here for more information.