Open City Advocates

Open City Advocates serves approximately 45-60 youth annually, ranging from 16-25 years old, who are or were formerly committed to the dc department of youth rehabilitation services dyrs. We tackle racial disparity where it is most extreme, as 100 of youth committed to dcs delinquency system are youth of color. We help our clients transition home from incarceration and support their quests to continue their education, obtain employment, and become positive forces in their communities. We protect their due process rights and strive to keep them out of inherently harmful locked facilities.

This gift from the dorothy j. dickman trust stems from the hard work and generosity of dorothy j. dickman and her late husband, hy dickman. With this gift, Open City Advocates will be able to reach across the nation to ensure that children have the legal counsel they deserve when they have been taken away from their families, locked up, and are feeling scared and helpless. This gift will allow Open City Advocates to research promising practices across the nation, cultivate cross-jurisdiction collaboration, publish resources and toolkits, and engage in impact litigation and legislative reform efforts, all in order to establish and implement the right to legal representation of children after sentencing.

Systemic reform based on the knowledge we gain from our direct client services, Open City Advocates spearheads systemic reform efforts to end the revolving door of the juvenile and criminal justice systems, safeguard and expand due process protections, and encourage individualized, trauma responsive, culturally appropriate services for court involved youth. Our primary focus is to ensure that no child must confront this complex bureaucratic system in which their liberty is constantly at risk without the support of legal counsel.