KYW Newsradio 1060 Philadelphia
Rutgers-Camden Opens Juvenile Delinquency Clinic
by KYW’s Karin Phillips
Rutgers-Camden school of law has opened a juvenile delinquency clinic, the first
such clinic that focuses on children as clients.
When one student beats another so badly he's charged with aggravated assault,
there's more going on there than just a bad and violent kid. That's the premise
behind the Children's Justice Clinic, operated by Rutgers Camden School of Law,
where law students represent children as clients, and investigate and repair
what's going on behind the violence. Clinic co-director C.J. Lore:
“We have a small caseload and we can really take the opportunity to get involved
in the child's life so the students spend an incredible amount of time with them so
they get to the root problems.”
Third year law student Maria Hernandez, who has a teenaged client, says the
work satisfies her passion for children:
“Being from Camden and knowing the struggles a lot of the kids go through, that
could have been me.”