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Making the Court System Work Better for Children: 25 Things Your Court Can Do
The Center for Families, Children and the Courts in California has published this manual with examples of successful programs that actively improve children’s experience in the court system and are replicable. 75 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Adolescent Brain Development The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) web pages include an excellent Issues section with information and resources on a variety of timely subjects. Here are three of the articles from the Brain Development section: The Relevance of Brain Research to Juvenile Defense – Robert Shepherd Adolescents, Maturity, and The Law: why science and development matter in juvenile justice – Jeff Fagan. Brain maturation in juveniles: Some implications for behavior and control - Ruben C. Gur ++++++++++ Planning for Emergencies: Immediate Events and Their Aftermath – A Guideline for Local Courts The American University School of Public Affairs has published this “how to” guide for trial courts, particularly those in rural areas, beginning the process of developing emergency preparedness and response plans. It provides step-by-step information that can be used by all courts interested in developing or reviewing plans. It includes a needs assessment planning tool, hypothetical scenarios and a bibliography of planning resources. 35 page pdf file downloadable at the link above. ++++++++++ National Court Improvement Progress Report and Catalog
The National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues has a special web page that allows you to view CIP reports by state, by category and by sub-category. You can also print a copy of reports: state summaries, national summary, CIP Catalog, and a state contact list.
++++++++++ Curriculum and Workshop Agenda for Courthouse Security and Disaster Preparedness Talk about timely! The Justice Management Institute has developed and tested a curriculum for a workshop that helps jurisdictions draft a plan to become prepared to respond to and minimize the impact of disasters. A report describing both can be read or downloaded at the JERITT website Resources section. Scroll to the bottom of the page. There are three documents to look at there. ++++++++++ Developing and Evaluating Courthouse Security and Disaster Preparedness: A Collaborative Process between State and Federal Courts. A new report released by the Justice Management Institute, the report describes a project conducted by JMI which developed a 2and a half day and a 1 day curriculum for local trial court teams on courthouse security and disaster recovery. The complete 215 page report is available at the SJI repository library serving each state*. Copies can also be obtained by contacting the Justice Management Institute at askJMI@jmijustice.org. *Names and addresses of these libraries are available on the State Justice Institute website: http://www.statejustice.org. ++++++++++ Recruiting and Retaining CASA Volunteers of Color
With a grant from the National CASA Association, the Center for Community Alternatives (CCA) in New York has published a manual on how to recruit and retain CASA volunteers of color. The manual is available for download at the CCA web site. Click on the link above.
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High Rate of No-Shows Among Juvenile Defendants in Tampa The failure-to-appear rate for juveniles in Hillsborough County, Florida, has been as high as 60% in recent years. During the first seven months of this year the Public Defender's Office handled 3,911 juvenile cases. In nearly 1,200 instances juvenile represented by the office failed to appear for their scheduled hearing and trial dates. The worst offenders skip court dates because they realize they can do so without serious consequences. ++++++++++ Jailing Women Who Used Drugs While Pregnant
A recent case in a Maryland county put a mother who had cocaine in her system and in the blood of her baby boy in prison serving 2 and a half years for reckless endangerment of her child. The ACLU is appearing her conviction to Maryland’s highest court in a case that touches on the debates over abortion, drug policy and privacy. Talbot County appears to be the only place in Maryland, and one of the few nationally, where such mothers are sent to prison.
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Court Security Guide
The National Association for Court Management (NACM) has released a guide to court security. It is 40 pages in length, soft cover, includes appendices and case law, and is available from NACM for $8 each, unless you’re a member of NACM, then its $5. For ordering information call 757.259.1841 or Fax 757.259.1520.
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Performance Measures for Courts: The Next Step in Foster Care Reform This monograph from the National Council for Adoption examines how well juvenile and family courts work with public child welfare agencies to place children in foster care with safe, stable families. Legislative and judicial officials can use the report as they evaluate and improve court performance. The media and the public can educate themselves about the criteria for effective court systems. 12 pages. Downloadable. ++++++++++ The Wilson Four: Arizona Students Born in Mexico, Raised in U.S., Legal Status in Limbo Below find two articles on the Wilson Four, who have come to symbolize thousands of undocumented immigrants and their struggle to remain in the country. U.S. Immigration Law is a Mess and Kids Suffer for It Four Phoenix, Ariz. students who were brought to the United States as toddlers face deportation because they have neither citizenships nor visas. All four consider the U.S. as home, but will be deported to Mexico. The students, called the Wilson Four, were brought up in this country and have grown up in U.S. culture and language. Wilson 4 Avoid Deportation In an article in the Arizona Republic published earlier today (July 27, 2005), a U.S. immigration judge has tossed out the deportation cases against the Wilson Four saying they were targeted by immigration officials at the Canadian border because they are Hispanic. Judge John Richardson said the government violated the students’ constitutional rights against illegal search and seizure and unlawfully obtained evidence against the four. Their troubles are not over. They still remain in the country without legal status. ++++++++++ Nathaniel Abraham is 19 and due for release in 2007 Abraham, charged as an adult but sentenced as a youth for shooting and killing a stranger when he was 11 years old, has come a long way both emotionally and intellectually, but there continue to be questions about his readiness for release in 17 months. He was sentenced by, and continues to be monitored by Pontiac, Mich. Judge Eugene Arthur Moore, a past president of NCJFCJ. Judge Moore’s decision in Nathaniel’s case received national attention and was published in the Juvenile and Family Court Journal. If you’d like to have a copy of Moore’s decision, send me an email and we’ll send you a copy. ++++++++++ U.S. Supreme Court Cases Important to Kids This article looks at three cases that will come before the Supreme Court in its next session and how they are significant for kids and their families. They are: who bears the burden of proof in special education cases; parental consent for minors who seek abortions;and the issue of military recruiters on campus.
++++++++++ Defusing the Risk to Judicial Officials: The Contemporary Threat Management Process The National Sheriffs’ Association CODA (Court Officers and Deputies Association) has available for order this manual on court security. It’s available for $15 per copy in zip format through an email address at the link above. CODA also offers court security training. ++++++++++ Rural Children at a Glance The Mathematics of Risk Classification: Changing data into Valid Instruments for Juvenile Courts This report, written by Don Gottfredson and Howard Snyder as part of the National Center for Juvenile Justice National Juvenile Justice Data Analysis Project, is intended to help courts classify youth into risk groups as an aid to program assignments. It compares statistical methods for classifying risk and offers recommendations for selecting classification procedures. 44 pages. Downloadable. ++++++++++ Teen from Queens and Her Family Deported Because She was a Potential Suicide Bomber Tashnuba Hayder, the daughter of Muslim immigrants, spent seven weeks in detention and was released on the condition that she leave the country immediately. Her case is the first terror investigation in the U.S. known to involve minors and is indicative of how deeply concerned the government is that a teenager might become a terrorist. Tashnuba’s mother asked to take “voluntary departure” with her daughter back to Bangladesh. Tashnuba believes she was singled out because she is a non-citizen, thus allowing investigators to invoke immigration law, and bypassing criminal and juvenile proceedings. Lengthy article from the New York Times Sunday Magazine. ++++++++++ More Court Violence This article from the Kansas City Star describes security changes in local courts and a variety of violent incidents in court. ++++++++++ Seattle Courthouse Shooting An advocate for fathers’ rights in family court, who had protested for over 15 years over the unfairness of the child support he was ordered to pay, was shot Tuesday, June 21, outside the federal courthouse in Seattle. Perry Manley claimed that child support was a form of involuntary servitude in which a man is forced to work to support a child he is not responsible for raising. He was dressed in camouflage and carried a backpack strapped across his chest while he held a grenade that was later determined to be inactive. The three articles below will fill you in on the details: ++++++++++ Court Coordination Program
OJJDP News @ a Glance reports on this innovative approach to helping juvenile and family courts provide more coordinated, individualized services to young people with multiple needs. This pilot project explores whether a coordinator in the court structure can leverage the court’s authority to improve service delivery and outcomes for juveniles in cases that require intensive, specialized care from more than one agency. The link above will take you to News@ a Glance. This one will take you to a more detailed article about CCP’s kickoff meeting. ++++++++++ Judges Seek Cover on the Bench In this news article a judge in Danville, Kentucky, is profiled as he deals with the arrest of a man who is now charged with his attempted murder. The man was on his way to a hearing in Judge Bruce Petrie’s courtroom with an accordion file stuffed with papers. The papers had been hollowed out to conceal two clips of ammunition and a gun. ++++++++++ Judge Joan Lefkow’s Testimony On May 18, federal Judge Lefkow, whose husband and mother were killed by a man who had intended to kill her, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The link above will take you to a Chicago Tribune article on her appearance before the Committee. This link will take you to a copy of her testimony. ++++++++++ |
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