Help Prevent an Injustice

Our son Matt is a 19-year old high school senior and lived with his parents and younger sister  until recently, when he was  arrested and charged with making terroristic threats on social media.  Matt is developmentally disabled and does not have the cognitive ability to comprehend or understand the impact of his comments and the seriousness of his actions. He is currently in a county jail near his parents’ home in New Jersey.

Matt's family is seeking donations for Matt's legal defense.

Matt is a young man with developmental disabilities, cerebral palsy, scoliosis, hearing loss in both ears, non-verbal learning disability, and several other conditions.

In his early years, Matt struggled to keep up with his peers both academically and socially. Through specialized supports provided by private-sector practitioners and an individualized education plan in public school , Matt's performance improved and he blossomed. Despite his significant impairments, Matt has worked hard to succeed in school and in the community. Matt spent many years involved in Scouts and community service work, and he also held a part-time job during high school.

Regularly bullied in school, Matt struggled to understand and process what was happening to him, why he was being targeted, and to react appropriately. Matt is easily influenced by peers, limited in his ability to recognize right from wrong and, at the same time, eager to please in an effort to gain social acceptance.

Matt has been assigned a public defender, but he needs a criminal defense attorney with expertise in defending clients with complex disabilities. Our hope is that a specialized criminal defense attorney will help the courts understand how Matt's lifelong, extensively documented disabilities affect his capacity to understand what is happening to him and his ability to fully participate in his defense. 

A criminal defense attorney experienced in defending youths with complex disabilities may also be able to help the legal system humanely consider how our son's medical conditions, developmental disabilities, and learning disabilities affect Matt's behavior and decision-making.

His family is deeply concerned about Matt's well being and hope to limit the time he spends in jail awaiting trial. Matt's special needs are not being addressed while he’s incarcerated and his condition is gradually worsening.  Although Matt's parents both work, the family lacks the resources to hire a criminal defense attorney. 

Please help us hire an attorney who can robustly and expertly defend our son.

Our family and Matt desperately need your support.