Navigating the D.C. Justice System

These resources can help you navigate the D.C. justice system. For further questions, please call our duty day attorney at 202-628-1200.

General Resources:

• PDS Community Defender Division (CDD)
• CDD Prisoner Reentry and Legal Services Program (PRLS)
• CDD Juvenile Services Program (JSP) New Beginnings
• CDD Juvenile Services Program (JSP) at the Youth Services Center
• Mayor's Office on Returning Citizen Affairs (MORCA) 
• Community Guide to the Courts
• Guia Comunitaria para las Cortes
• LawHelp.Org/DC
• D.C. Superior Court Cases Online (to find a case by name or number)
• Glossary of Legal Terms (English/Spanish)
• Glosario de Términos Legales (Inglés/Español) 

Juvenile Matters:

• Guide to the D.C. Juvenile Justice System
• Del Sistema de Justicia de Menores del Distrito de Columbia
• CDD Juvenile Services Program (JSP) New Beginnings Brochure
• CDD Juvenile Services Program (JSP) Youth Services Center Brochure
• Youth Movement Through the D.C. Juvenile System
• Parent Handbook
• Directory of Youth and Family Services: Community and Confinement Access Guide (2015)
• Think Before You Plea: Juvenile Collateral Consequences in the United States

Adult, Incarcerated, or Returning Citizens:

Programs and Services:

• CDD Prisoner and Reentry Legal Services Program (PRLS)
• DC Prisoners’ Project
• Voices for a Second Chance
• Sentencing Project 
• Adult Resource Directory: 2015 Community and Confinement Access Guide (2nd Edition)

Federal Bureau of Prisons:

• General Information
• Inmate Locator

 Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA):

• General Information
• Reentry

DC Employment Justice Center:

• General Information
• Workers' Rights Clinic and Other Resources

Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services:

• General Information
• Frequently Asked Questions

Collateral Consequences Publications:

• National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction
• Think Before You Plea: Juvenile Collateral Consequences in the United States
• Collateral Consequences Resource Center