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The Role of the Juvenile Court Judge Revisited The latest issue of the Juvenile and Family Court Journal (Winter 2005) contains an article by Judge Leonard Edwards, past president of NCJFCJ, in which he takes another look at his article, “The Role of the Juvenile Court Judge,” in the light of change in America’s juvenile courts since its original publication in 1992. As a bonus the article also contains the text of Judge Edwards’ remarks when he received the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence in November, 2004, the first time in the award’s history that this honor has gone to a juvenile court judge. If you’d like to read this article, send me an email and I’ll send it to you, also by email. Please send me your name, your city, and your state for our records in your email to me. ++++++++++ Court Security and Judge Safety Events of the past two weeks have resulted in a flurry of news articles about court and judge safety issues. The following may be useful information: Blueprint for Courthouse Security – The National Center for State Courts released a 10 point blueprint for improving courthouse security and scheduled a national summit on the problem next month, financed in part by a newly approved $100,000 grant from the Justice Department. Read the NCSC Announcement and 10 Point Blueprint plan. NCSC Court Security Information Page - NCSC has also provided a page of information with a list of contacts and online resources. Trends in 2004: The Future of Court Security – NCSC examines threats and proposes countermeasures in this brief review of court security issues. Trends in 2004: Trends in Courthouse Design – Review of current trends in courthouse design including public access, Pro Se litigants, child care, and other issues. ++++++++++ How Judges Cope With Everyday Threats on the Job The murder of a Chicago judge’s family members is prompting a nationwide reassessment of how vulnerable judges are and what precautions they can take. Judge Gayle Nachtagal, president of the American Judges Association, has installed a burglar alarm, keeps her address out of the phone book, and has talked to her children’s principal, asking the school to refrain from giving out their names. ++++++++++ The Growing Need for Qualified Court Interpreters This NCSC Trends in 2004 article comments on the growing need for quality court interpretation in several languages. The U.S. Census Bureau says more than 48 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home. The article includes a number of links to other resources. ++++++++++ Family Dependency Treatment Courts: Addressing Child Abuse and Neglect Cases Using the Drug Court Model The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has just released this monograph, the result of a two-day focus group that explored the pros and cons of various approaches to the development and operation of FDTCs. The group formulated a mission and overall goals for the court, and took the first steps toward devising a national strategy for advancing the FDTC concept. The first family dependency treatment court opened in 1994 in Reno, Nevada, just down the street from our offices. 82 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Want to Know How Many States Have Unified Family Courts? Click on this link to the FAQ section of the National Center for Juvenile Justice web site to find out. +++++++++++ Ten Core Principles for Providing Quality Delinquency Representation Through Indigent Defense Delivery Systems The American Council of Chief Defenders and the National Juvenile Defender Center have developed these core principles to provide criteria an indigent defense system may implement. The principles serve to offer guidance to the leadership of indigent defense providers about the role of public defenders, contract attorneys or assigned counsel in delivering quality legal representation on behalf of children in delinquency proceedings as well as those prosecuted in adult court. +++++++++++ National Court Improvement Progress Report and Catalog This site allows the viewer to examine state CIP reports by individual state, by category or by subcategory. Also available at the site, a national summary, state summaries, CIP catalog, and state contact list. ++++++++++ Arizona Dual Jurisdiction Study In March 2003 the Arizona Supreme Court AOC entered into a contract with the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) to conduct a study of youth who experience simultaneous dependency and delinquency court involvement. A national survey found that a relatively small number of courts, probation departments, and child welfare agencies have instituted special court practices especially for dual jurisdiction matters. This paper highlights promising court-based practices and programs with the potential to address dual jurisdiction cases. The complete study is a 150 page pdf file. The link above will take you to the executive summary of the study. ++++++++++ Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Courts: Impressions from Public Hearings (See Winter 2004 issue) From the latest issue of Court Review, this article looks at minority perceptions of the justice system and their concerns with the Nebraska courts -- in their own words. Minorities perceive they receive harsher sentences than whites and they are dissatisfied with legal services. Latinos have concerns about interpreter services, particularly those cases in which children were providing interpreter services. Native Americans were concerned about cross-jurisdictional problems related to sovereign lands. Blacks were concerned about their representation as court employees and legal professionals. ++++++++++ Expert Medical Opinion in Adolescent Sexual Abuse Cases A recent issue of the APRI Update newsletter, this issue examines how one state, Virginia, has addressed the limits of medical expert testimony through its trial and appellate courts. Contents include the Johnson case and Human Sexual Response issue. ++++++++++ Courthouse Waiting Rooms for Children Children called to court for child abuse or divorce typically wait in crowded courthouse hallways for hours. Courts in counties around the country are changing that by carving out space for a waiting room just for kids where they can play, read or watch videos. Baby changing tables are found in restrooms and the room is away from the din of the courthouse hallways. ++++++++++ he Role of Specialty Mental Health Courts in Meeting the Needs of Juvenile Offenders This document aims to help inform an ongoing debate about the wisdom of specialty courts for youth. Juvenile mental health courts raise many of the same concerns posed by similar adult courts, but have additional concerns because of the nature of the Juvenile Justice system and the young people who are subject to its jurisdiction. This article addresses those concerns. ++++++++++ Southern Juvenile Defender Center At this site you will also find a summary of new research on adolescent brain development and a nice selection of downloadable reports similar to the one above. See particularly the 50 State Survey of the Statutory Definition of Status Offenders and White Paper on Juvenile Assessment Centers. ++++++++++ Permanency Planning Mediation Pilot Program Thanks to John Ferry for the link to this newly completed evaluation of Michigan’s Permanency Planning Mediation Program. The report concludes that mediation is a valuable option in the range of legal responses to child maltreatment. “Participants, mediators and judges spoke to the value of a highly-interactive process, in a less formal and less adversarial environment, with time dedicated to reaching an acceptable plan.” ++++++++++ Michigan's Lawyer-Guardian ad Litem Protocol Lawyer-Guardian ad Litem Protocol is Intended to assist lawyer-guardians ad litem appointed for children in child protective proceedings. Contents include:  | a list of time requirements in child protective proceedings, | | a model forensic interviewing protocol, | | sample orders and reports. |
With all the appendices, 50+ pages. ++++++++++ Mother Who Smoked in Front of Her Children Gets Jail Time A Virginia mother was sentenced to 10 days in jail for defying a court order not to smoke in front of her children. She had already violated the order last Thanksgiving. While driving her children to South Carolina, she tacked up plastic between the front and back seats of her car and secured it with duct tape so she could smoke as she drove. ++++++++++ Center for Families, Children and the Courts The Center is a division of the Administrative Office of the Courts of California. Links below are to information of interest. Effective Representation of Children in Juvenile Delinquency Court – This brochure provides juvenile court defense attorneys with guidance on fulfilling the requirements of rule 1479 of the California Rules of Court and offers suggestions for effective advocacy beyond that mandated by law. Public Information Pamphlets – A series of downloadable pamphlets on Adoption, Emancipation, Juvenile, Guardianship, and other topics intended for the public. Here is the Emancipation pamphlet. ++++++++++ Aggravated Sentencing: Blakely v. Washington The Vera Institute of Justice has released this publication, the first in a series on State Sentencing and Corrections. The Supreme Court ruled that the Sixth Amendment forbids a judge to increase a criminal sentence based on facts not found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. The decision immediately invalidated Washington State’s determinate sentencing guidelines system and casts doubt on the constitutional validity of structured sentencing systems nationwide. More than 20 states are affected by the decision. Downloadable. 11 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Blakely v. Washington If you’re dealing with the results of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in which major provisions of Washington State’s determinate/structured sentencing guidelines were invalidated and cast doubt on those in many other jurisdictions, you’ll want to visit the Vera Institute of Justice web site. Vera is preparing a series of Blakely publications and will convene a major national meeting on the subject. Click on the link to the State Sentencing and Correction Program pages on Vera's home page. A link to the full Supreme Court decision is available here too. ++++++++++ Children in Legal Guardianships Eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Undocumented children who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned can petition for lawful permanent resident status, provided they come under the protection of a state court. The most common method is for a child to enter the state child welfare system, be placed in a foster or group home and, with the help of an attorney or other advocate, apply for SIJS. Children under the care of a court-appointed legal guardian are also eligible, but underrepresented. See the details in this article from the January-March, 2004 issue of Youth Law News. ++++++++++ Access to Counsel This is the second bulletin of the new Juvenile Justice Practices Series from OJJDP intended to provide the field with updated, research, promising practices, and tools for a variety of juvenile justice areas. This Bulletin examines access to legal counsel in the juvenile justice system. 34 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Building a Better Court: Measuring and Improving Court performance and Judicial Workload in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases Designed to help courts handling child abuse and neglect cases make real and sustained advances in improving court performance by successfully measuring court performance and judicial workload needs. A product of the NCJFCJ Permanency Planning for Children Department and available for download. 72 page pdf file. Click on the link above and scroll down to “More of What’s New.” |
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