Delaware Passes Four Progressive Juvenile Justice Laws

Juvenile Law Center,

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:

  • HB 211 - which ends indiscriminate youth shackling
  • HB 382 - which guarantees all youth receive legal representation
  • HB 405 - which codifies an existing program offering a civil citation diversion program for first-time juvenile offenders
  • SB 198​ - which streamlines and expands juvenile expungement