Join us in celebrating #PPPS Week!
The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) is promoting the National Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week (#PPPSWeek), held the third full calendar week of July (Sunday – Saturday).
This week, we celebrate over 100,000 community corrections professionals around the country who work hard to keep our communities safe.
The National Judicial Network: A Lifeline Helping Judges Better Serve Human Trafficking Victims and Immigrant Victims of Crime and Abuse
The National Judicial Network (NJN): Forum on Human Trafficking and Immigration in State Courts offers judges an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and information sharing. Judges from all over the country who are interested in the court’s role in assisting victims of human trafficking and immigrant victims of crime and abuse can engage with one another through NJN. The NJN is supported by the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP), American University Washington College of Law, in collaboration with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), a 17-member state court judge steering committee and funded by the State Justice Institute. NJN judges participate in peer-to-peer forums, webinars, and a confidential members-only Listserv where they can communicate with other judges. They also have access to topic-specific publications and can request the development of new publications. In-person training sessions are conducted to address issues related to human trafficking and immigrant victims in state courts. The NJN’s forums, webinars, and publications aim to enhance judges’ understanding of complex issues and ultimately improve access to justice for victims of human trafficking and immigrant victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, stalking, and other crimes. The NJN currently has 240 judicial officers from 35 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa as its members. They convene monthly (excluding July and August) for peer-to-peer forums and webinars focused on topics requested by members. In response to judicial requests, NIWAP has developed a library of 260 judicial educational materials for judges. Additionally, the NJN records many of its forums and webinars as a comprehensive resource for judges and lawyers nationwide, covering various topics (30 in total).
Members of the NJN Steering Committee describe the importance of NJN membership:
“As a New Jersey family court judge in 2016, I was appointed to oversee the development of a juvenile diversion program for youth at risk of human trafficking,” said Judge Susan Maven (ret.) of Atlantic City, New Jersey. “I quickly learned that there was not a central platform to converse with judges across the country who had established similar programs or had experience with the human trafficking of youth. I made it my goal then to establish such a network. Through my affiliation with the NCJFCJ and NIWAP, we were able to establish the National Judicial Network. Judges are now able to share experiences and learn best practices in order to better serve youth and immigrant women who are victims or at risk of harm from human trafficking.”
“The National Judicial Network is an exciting opportunity for judges across the country to learn about issues related to human trafficking and immigrant victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and other crimes,” Judge Rosemary Collins (ret.) of Rockford, Illinois said. “I personally have found these trainings, and the materials provided, to be of the highest quality and extraordinarily helpful in my professional life. Networking with other judges who share my passion for this work and having access to up-to-date accurate information about these complex issues is invaluable!”
“I have been a state trial court judge for more than 28 years,” says Judge Ramona Gonzalez of La Cross, Wisconsin. “Courts now are a place where families come in crisis seeking more than just a jurist who calls balls and strikes. The issues they bring include many that are not taught in law schools. Immigration, trauma, and human trafficking are now before judges in rural and urban centers. The Judicial Network is a lifeline for judges everywhere to learn, share and prepare to meet the needs of the families in crisis we see every day.”
Please share information about the NJN widely with judges. If you are a judge, tribal judge, magistrate, commissioner, or other judicial officer we encourage you to join the NJN. Please register through this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VGY9VJM
Policy Research Associates, Inc. in partnership with the State Justice Institute, released a new overview of 18 court navigation programs operating in 22 states across the US. A court navigation program provides guidance and information about court processes and procedures to people in contact with the court system. The compendium can serve as a tool for courts to develop their own court navigation program or to expand an existing program’s services.
Download the free resource here: https://www.prainc.com/…/CourtNavigatorCompendium-508.pdf
Upcoming #Webinar! Tomorrow: Friday, June 23rd, 2023, at 3:00PM EST.
National Discussion on the U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and its Impact.
The National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA) and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) will host a national discussion on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and its impact. This interactive discussion will bring together judicial thought leaders from across the country to discuss the challenges and successes of the decision and will provide an opportunity to share perspectives on ways to effectively support families and communities moving forward.
Register now: Webinar Registration – Zoom
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, announced the release of its new report, Allied Legal Professionals: A National Framework for Program Growth. As part of IAALS’ Allied Legal Professionals project—which is generously supported by the Sturm Family Foundation—this report includes multiple research-informed recommendations to help standardize a new tier of legal professionals across states, with the goal of increasing the options for accessible and affordable legal help for the public.
“To hire a lawyer, people either need considerable money or have an income low enough to qualify for the limited legal aid available. The problem is that the majority of people in the middle class don’t fit into either of those categories, making access to legal services incredibly difficult,” says IAALS Director of Special Projects Michael Houlberg. “Even if every lawyer took on pro bono clients, it wouldn’t come close to addressing the need. And IAALS’ research shows that people who need legal help are open to receiving it from qualified and authorized providers who are not lawyers.”
In early 2022, IAALS launched the Allied Legal Professionals project in response to an increase in state programs creating a new tier of legal service providers who target this gap in legal services—mirroring in many ways how nurse practitioners joined the medical field alongside doctors. These new providers—which collectively IAALS has referred to as allied legal professionals (ALPs)—are being authorized to provide legal advice in certain case types and under certain circumstances. Data from these programs show that ALPs are making a positive impact in people’s lives. Well-trained ALPs are competent, their clients are satisfied with their work product, and they can reach a portion of the population that lawyers are not reaching. ALPs are providing high-quality legal services at around half the cost of lawyers.
The report includes:
Access the report here: alp_national_framework.pdf (du.edu)
Upcoming #Webinar! Family-Centered Fridays: Creating User-Centered Courtrooms. Friday, June 30th, 2023, at 12:15PM EST.
Learn how #courtroom design can support user-centered court culture. Attendees will have the opportunity to view plans for #usercentered courtrooms and court service areas, hear details of the design process, and learn some of the creative ways jurisdictions can begin to implement user-centered design principles at all levels of scale. National Center for State Courts
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau, on average over 400,000 abused and neglected children live in foster care in the U.S. and foster care systems serve over 600,000 children and youth every year.[1] According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, in 2020, 34% of child maltreatment victims were under age 3, more than half were female (51%), 44% were white, and the majority (61%) experienced neglect, and American Indian/Alaskan Natives, Black, multiple race, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic youth were more likely to be victimized than white youth.[2] State courts play a pivotal role in the lives of these children and families. Every day judges are faced with difficult decisions affecting children and youth with foster care system involvement, continually challenged to find the right solutions in each of their cases.
Through a special Request for Applications (RFA) process earlier in FY 2023, SJI awarded grants to further improve state court efforts in addressing child abuse and neglect. Over $1.3 million in grant application were received in response to this RFA. SJI awarded a total of five grants:
[1] Children’s Bureau Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Report #9.Online. Available: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cb/afcarsreport28.pdf. Released on November 1, 2022.
[2] OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/victims/qa02107.asp?qaDate=2020. Released on April 18, 2022
On June 13, 2023, the Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Hernán D. Vera to serve as a federal district judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Judge Vera will preside over matters in Los Angeles in the Court’s Western Division. Judge Vera previously served as a Principal at Bird Marella in Los Angeles, where he focused his practice on complex civil litigation and class action defense. He also counseled and advised clients on risk management in public matters where a problem-solving, community approach is essential to the success of the litigation. Prior to his time at Bird Marella, he served as President & Chief Executive Officer of Public Counsel, the nation’s largest pro bono, public interest law firm. He was the first Latino leader of the 40-year-old civil rights organization, which is based in Los Angeles. Judge Vera was a commercial litigator with the international firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he specialized in class actions. Judge Vera has also worked as an Education Staff Attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and clerked for the Honorable Consuelo B. Marshall, U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California. He makes frequent media appearances on issues relating to access to justice, civil rights, and consumer protection. He was appointed to the SJI Board of Directors in 2010. Judge Vera received an A.B., with Distinction, from Stanford University, and his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law.
SJI received 16 grant applications requesting a total of $2,321,097 for the 3rd quarter of FY 2023. The Board met on June 5, 2023, at the Wyoming Supreme Court to make decisions on those applications.
During its meeting, the Board awarded 6 Strategic Initiatives Grants: the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) to develop guidelines for the ethnical and evidence-based use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in the state courts, and an AI impact assessment tool; the NCSC to develop, pilot, and disseminate a new strategic planning framework and interactive web application tool that courts can use to address key areas of vulnerability; the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) for Phase II of an Initiative to continue to assist state court judges understand and address the needs of military families in the juvenile and family court system; the Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice to conduct a Probation and Youth Justice System Review Project in three selected jurisdictions and implement the recommendations from the analysis and review; the NCSC, in coordination with the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators for Phase II of the Blueprint for Racial Justice Initiative; and the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) to partner with NCJFCJ to produce podcasts for judges on best practices in child abuse and neglect cases.
Nine (9) Technical Assistance Grant applications were awarded: the Hamilton County, Tennessee, Court to partner with the Judicial Innovation Fellowship (JIF) program at the Institute of Technology, Law, and Policy at Georgetown University Law Center to audit and improve how the court and information technology departments across the county share data to better understand court user experiences across the civil and criminal justice systems; the Kansas Judiciary to partner with the JIF program to assess the filing needs of self-represented litigants in Kansas; the NCSC, in collaboration with the CCJ/COSCA Midwest Region, to focus on the issue of “legal deserts” in states where there are areas with few or no lawyers; the Ventura County, California, Superior Court to support a new strategic planning process; the 16th Judicial Circuit of Michigan to develop and strategic plan and priorities for improving access to justice; the Maine Administrative Office of the Courts to assess the organization and operations of the AOC; the Oregon Judicial Department to create a four-year strategic plan; the Kansas Supreme Court to review and update the vision, mission, and strategic goals set forth in the strategic plan; and the Delaware Court of Common Pleas for a caseflow management project.
One (1) Curriculum Adaptation and Training Grant to the National Association of State Judicial Educators (NASJE) to support educational sessions during the 2023 NASJE annual meeting.
While courts are making strides to effectively respond to the needs of court-involved individuals with serious mental illness, it’s also important to focus on the well-being of judges and staff.
Mindfulness can help.
“Building a mindfulness capacity is one strategy many in the public and private sectors are embracing to build thoughtful, creative, and resilient workforces ready to respond to ongoing demands,” said Pam Casey, project director and NCSC Vice President for Research. “Mindfulness involves paying attention in an open and curious way to the experiences of the present moment.”
Last year, NCSC offered an eight-week mindfulness education program to help promote well-being and resilience for judges, court professionals, and others who work with courts. Participants were given access to a free, app-based mindfulness program and invited to 30-minute weekly webinars with a mindfulness instructor. The study, which was funded by the State Justice Institute, found that a hybrid mobile app/webinar program can be an effective way to deliver training to a broader court community but warrants additional research.
Read more at: Mindfulness | NCSC
