11/19/08 -- 

Dear NCJFCJ members, friends and supporters:

Thank you for your ongoing support of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and its commitment for the past 71 years to improving outcomes for children and families who come into contact with the judicial system. With the historic election of 2008 behind us, we look forward to supporting our new President and Administration in their efforts to ensure justice to our nation’s most vulnerable population – at-risk children and families.

There is little debate that children and youth experiencing abuse and neglect, family violence, divorce, or delinquency share common characteristics that put them at risk for system involvement. Regardless of how they enter the court system, all children, whether labeled “dependent” or “delinquent,” share an important commonality that underlies the very existence of our juvenile and family court system: Children and youth are not adults and require a compassionate, specialized, and personalized response from society.

The NCJFCJ and our many allied organizations have long worked to make this belief a reality. Critical to achieving this goal is funding that allows courts to respond to the individual needs of children and youth. Ultimately, consistent and meaningful funding supports our efforts to effectively intervene with youth to encourage positive development as well as prevent future human suffering and associated costs.

To support the important work that takes place in juvenile and family courts around the country each day, our hope is that our new President, Barack Obama, will:

     • Support reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act;
     • Continue and expand support for prevention programs through the child protection division of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention;
     • Continue and expand support for judicial and interdisciplinary training, technical assistance, and research in the areas of child abuse and neglect, family violence, juvenile delinquency and related areas;
     • Continue and develop new funding for improving case processing practice in both dependency and delinquency cases through NCJFCJ’s model courts initiatives; and
     • Develop a national program for reforming juvenile delinquency practice at the state level.

A commitment by our new President to make these recommendations a reality has likely never been more important. Even in the face of substantial social and economic challenges, it is essential to continue and expand support for juvenile and family court improvement efforts. Doing so will help ensure more positive outcomes for all system-involved children, youth, and families – and subsequently – improve the communities and society in which we live.  To read more about NCJFCJ’s efforts in these areas, click here.

Please take a few minutes to contact President-Elect Obama and members of your own Congressional delegation to let them know it is critical to make these recommendations a priority in the coming four years. Your support is essential!

Thank you and best wishes,

        Judge Patricia A. Macías, President
        Mary V. Mentaberry, Executive Director
        National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges