Established in 2006, the Youth Justice Clinic (formerly the Juvenile Justice Clinic) has been part of significant changes in the way Maine works with, and advocates for, system-involved youth. Understanding the powerful connection between practice and policy, in 2017 the Center for Youth Policy and Law (formerly the Center for Juvenile Policy & Law) was established to work with the Clinic to identify policy and practice reforms to reduce the use of inappropriate detention and confinement and increase fairness in the justice system. Together, the Clinic and the Center, working with students and other system stakeholders and community members, have been instrumental in recent policy and practice reform efforts, including eliminating shackling of youth in courtrooms, making restitution in juvenile cases more reasonable, improving record confidentiality for children and youth charged with juvenile offenses, reducing the use of incarceration, and advocating for the development of a robust continuum of community-based care for all Maine youth and young adults. This panel discussed the different ways the Clinic and Center work together to identify issues and implement strategies to improve outcomes for children and youth who come in contact with the law. Current and former students spoke to their experience both as practicing student attorneys in the Clinic and in working on policy and practice reform with the Center.
The University of Maine School of Law holds an annual Student Impact Summit to celebrate the significant and positive impact of student research on communities inside and outside of Maine. Participating students provide presentations on their experiential learning projects, research papers, books, or internships. The Summit was established in 2015.
The 2023 Student Impact Summit was hosted in our new building at 300 Fore Street in Portland, Maine.
