Community Partner: Office of Public Defender‐Juvenile Division
Intern: Sophia‐pia Zombanakis
Site Supervisor: Mark Friedenthal
Tasks:
• Co‐conducting interviews
with juveniles awaiting
their hearings or trials
What is the OPD‐ Juvenile Division?
• Assisting with
We are a group of lawyers, social workers, and staff members from the Juvenile Division of
development of defense
the Maryland Office of the Public Defender who have chosen to dedicate our careers to
working with children in the Juvenile Court System. We believe that every child is deserving
theories and helping
of zealous advocacy, and we fight each day to protect and defend our clients and their due
attorneys prepare for
process rights. Our representation continues even when the court case ends. We encourage
their trials
our clients to stay in touch with us.
• Working on the “Juvenile
Detention Alternative
Initiative” (JDAI) by
Working at the Office of the Public Defender this summer has
contacting other
been an unparalleled experience. Every day took a completely
attorneys/ DJS regional
unexpected turn, making the past 8 weeks some of the best so
directors
far. Although I had engaged with inner city kids through tutoring
• Observing hearings and
programs in the past, I had never gained such an insight into
trials, and transcribing
someone's personal life. I was often left shocked and
disheartened at a child's story. In the end, many of their actions
stemmed from, or were accentuated by, unstable family
dynamics and feelings of abandonment. The attorneys however,
who fight for their kid's wellbeing, bring a powerful sense of
hope in the eyes of both the child, and their families. My
internship this summer has been truly unforgettable. I was able
to connect many of the events that happened in Baltimore over
the year with the people who actually experienced, and were
affected by them. Through this experience, I have not only
gained a better understanding of the criminal justice system in
itself, but also a connection with the people who compose it.
‐Sophia
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