The Politics of Helping: Reflections on Identity, Ethics, and Defending the Poor

Scott L. Cummings

Skadden Fellow, Public Counsel Law Center, Los Angeles, California; J.D., Harvard Law School, 1996; B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1992

Reflecting upon his personal experience as an idealistic student intern in Chicago's Juvenile Public Defender's office, Scott Cummings examines some of the causes and consequences of inadequate legal representation for juvenile defendants. Expecting to find noble attorneys fighting racism and corruption hindered only by meager resources, Mr. Cummings discovers that the difficulties facing the office are more complex. Through his narrative, Mr. Cummings identifies four problematic areas: internal mismanagement, inadequate training of young lawyers, empty "process," and questionable ethical practices in trial and plea bargaining. The article provides an insightful commentary on serious failures of the juvenile justice system.

Vol. VI, No. 1, p. 43 (1999)

Revised July 17, 2003 (MD)