Delaware Passes Four Progressive Juvenile Justice Laws
Delaware's Office of Defense Services, along with a coalition of criminal justice groups, helped pass several pieces of important juvenile justice legislation in 2016.
Under the new laws, children will no longer be shackled indiscriminately; the process of obtaining an expungement will be easier in some instances; every child requesting legal representation will be deemed eligible for appointed counsel; and civil citation, a new pre-arrest diversion program, will be available for first-time youth offenders for certain minor offenses.
The specific bills passed are: