Congratulations to Elizabeth Henneke (right), pictured here with Austin 20 founder, Lisa Knapp (left), for receiving the Austin 20 Boots on the Ground Award! You have certainly been boots on the ground for justice reform.
Sunday, May 15, 2022 marked the 55th anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision in In re Gault. To commemorate this important landmark decision, The Gault Center (formerly NJDC) released a report that provides an in-depth analysis of the state of youth defense and the protection of children’s constitutional rights in this country. To access the report, click Cause of Action: Fulfilling the Promises of Gault. LSJA has been designated as the host site for The Gault Center South Central Region which includes Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. LSJA’s Director of Training, Nydia Thomas, has been named South Central Region Co-Director and serves on the National Advisory Board.
Project Partners
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Through our Youth Sentencing Project, we provide direct strategic litigation on behalf of youth who were tried in the adult criminal legal system and given extremely long prison sentences, particularly those sentenced to life without parole.
Youth should be held accountable for their wrongdoing in developmentally appropriate ways that consider their age, individual characteristics, and specific circumstances of their cases.
Our staff litigators take the lead on a limited number of cases every year, selecting those that have the potential to influence system-wide change. Last year, LSJA was involved in 13 cases challenging the transfer of youth (either as lead counsel or in a technical support role) and won 12 of these cases.
