The zero tolerance policies that were adopted by many local and state education agencies in the 1990s had the unintended effect of unnecessarily introducing low-risk youth to the juvenile justice system for disruptive behaviors that…
Domestic child sex trafficking (DCST) is a growing and complex problem in the U.S. Juvenile and family court judges are in a unique position to assist victimized youth to ensure they receive necessary services to…
In partnership with the National Juvenile Defender Center, this information card highlights due process and the right to counsel; ethical standards; and key elements of ensuring meaningful access to counsel for juveniles at the initial…
All Juvenile Drug Courts (JDCs) need a process for determining how youth will get referred for consideration as participants and which youth will ultimately be accepted into the JDC program. There is no set of…
Understanding our roles and responsibilities is essential if a juvenile drug court (JDC) team wishes to reach a collaborative advantage! Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts discusses formal and informal roles for core JDC…
Determining what your juvenile drug court’s targeting and eligibility criteria can be a daunting task. However, if it is done in a systematic way, it increases the probability that the “right youth” are receiving the…
Alcohol is the most widely abused substance among America’s adolescents and its toll on youth, their families and communities is serious. There are a myriad of reasons that teens decide to drink (e.g., self-medicating, mental…
Juvenile Drug Courts (JDCs) often face important decisions when developing or revising their programs. These decisions affect JDC practices and can have far reaching implications for JDC youth. In this series, titled Seven Deadly Sins…
Many schools across the United States have enacted zero-tolerance philosophy in response to perceived increases in violence and drugs in schools. It is believed that aggressive and unwavering punishment of many school infractions, including relatively…
In an effort to promote the importance of placing children with family members, a one page tip sheet for judicial officers on kinship care was created in partnership with the American Bar Association and the…
Publication Improves Court Practice in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) has announced the release of the Enhanced version of the Resource Guidelines to improve court practice in child abuse…
This technical assistance brief is a publication of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), prepared as part of a project jointly funded under an interagency agreement (IAA) between the National Institute…