GSPP and Berkeley Law Students Help Change Fee Policy Adversely Affecting Families of Delinquent Youths
Earlier this summer, the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court in Louisiana adopted a new policy to stop charging administrative fees to families with youth in the delinquency system. Research and advocacy performed by Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) and Berkeley Law students contributed to the enactment of the new policy.
Research published by the Policy Advocacy Clinic at the UC Berkeley School of Law demonstrated that administrative fees are regressive and racially discriminatory, disproportionately harming low-income families and families of color. Even after controlling for underlying offense, the researchers found that families of color are liable for higher fees than families of White youth. In addition, criminologists have found that charging juvenile fees correlates with higher rates of recidivism.
The Clinic’s research findings were presented to the Louisiana court thanks to a team of GSPP public policy students and Berkeley Law students. “Teaming law students with policy students allows us to examine an issue from multiple perspectives,” said Ahmed Lavalais, Clinical Teaching Fellow at the UC Berkeley. “The policy students brought substantive quantitative and data analysis skills. Goldman MPP students, Cybele Kotonias '18 and Andrea Lynn ‘19, analyzed public records and racial impact data, meanwhile law students helped perform legal analysis of the relevant statutes.”
Beyond analyzing data, the Clinic provided GSPP students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience advocating for change in the Louisiana Juvenile Court system. “Cybele and Andrea made substantive contributions during internal strategy sessions and meetings with local stakeholders,” Lavalais said. The GSPP students helped to lead meetings with local experts and stakeholders, interview impacted persons, and draft an overview memo on the impact of administrative fees in the Louisiana juvenile justice system and the actual resolution adopted by the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court.
Through the Clinic, GSPP and Berkeley Law students worked together to apply the skills they had learned in the classroom -- and make a lasting impact in social justice.
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Find out more about the Policy Advocacy Clinic here.
Find the full research report here.
Elizabeth Jekanowski MPH/MPP ‘20 and Chelsea Muir MPP ‘19 are part of the Louisiana team working to advance change further in the state this fall semester.