Sam Lawrence

The Project

Sam (he/him/his) will represent children incarcerated in North Carolina’s juvenile prisons by creating holistic reentry plans and advocating for early release.

The right to counsel for children does not include the post-disposition phase of the case. As a result, most children who are sent to prison never speak to a lawyer while they are there. Children do not have a legal advocate to make sure they are getting the educational and therapeutic services that they need. Children do not have a lawyer to advocate for them if they have done everything right in prison and have a strong case for release. Children often feel forgotten. This project is designed to begin filling this gap.

Before law school Sam worked at a holistic youth defender’s office in New Orleans and as a therapist in North Carolina. The children and families who he worked with, along with the lawyers and social workers who zealously advocated on their behalf, inspired him to become a lawyer for incarcerated children.

Fellowship Plans

Sam will visit children in juvenile prisons across North Carolina, listen to their experiences and assess their legal needs. He will select a caseload of children who need additional advocacy to ensure that they are receiving individualized educational and therapeutic services. He will attend their Service Plan Meetings and advocate on their behalf. Sam will also identify a caseload of children who have strong cases for early release. He will use his social work background to craft holistic reentry plans with his clients and their families, building on their internal strengths and connecting them to additional support in the community. Sam will present these reentry plans to judges and other stakeholders as concrete alternatives to incarceration through which these children can return home and thrive in their communities.

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