Author: Lauren Curtis

Pennsylvania Statewide Behavioral Health & Recovery Summit – Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts

In October 2024, the Pennsylvania Courts held a first-ever statewide Behavioral Health Summit that brought together over 500 judges, leaders, and stakeholders to address the growing behavioral health crisis within the judicial system. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty emphasized the increasing severity and frequency of behavioral health challenges and called the summit a “call to action” to improve court responses and support justice-involved individuals with behavioral health needs.

The summit, hosted in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), fostered collaboration among judges, county and state leaders, and advocates. It highlighted the importance of both education and building relationships in creating informed solutions that positively impact the community. This initiative seeks to develop comprehensive strategies that address behavioral health issues and ensure both effective legal proceedings and compassionate, trauma-informed care.

A significant prior step in this effort was the establishment of the Office of Behavioral Health by the Pennsylvania Courts last year. This office is focused on promoting best practices at the intersections of at-risk populations and the courts.  It is also dedicated to providing training and educational resources for judges, ensuring they are equipped to navigate cases involving those with behavioral health challenges.  Key areas of focus include truancy, domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, criminal justice, and civil commitments.

Justice Dougherty addressing Summit attendees.

The office is currently supporting the establishment of seven judicially led, behavioral health regional councils to ensure ongoing collaboration and progress. The councils will launch via regional summits across Pennsylvania with a focus on helping county leaders to understand and engage the legislature and stakeholders on regional priorities.  

The Rural Justice Collaborative Digest for March 2025

Funded by the State Justice Institute, the National Center for State Courts, in partnership with Rulo Strategies LLC, launched the Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC) to showcase the strengths of rural communities and highlight the cross-sector collaboration that is a hallmark of rural justice systems. These strengths include strong professional networks, deep ties to the communities they serve, resiliency, and ingenuity. The Rural Justice Collaborative is guided by an advisory council of rural practitioners representing the judiciary, public safety, behavioral health, public health, child welfare, victim services and other stakeholder-focused justice systems. The advisory council guides the initiative and has focused initial efforts on advancing innovation, promoting collaboration, and raising awareness of rural justice system needs.

RJC-Digest-Mar-2025

Trauma-Informed Practice Strategy Lab for Criminal Courts (TIPS Lab)

The Center for Justice Innovation, with funding from the State Justice Institute, is leading the development of the Trauma-Informed Practice Strategy Lab for Criminal Courts (TIPS Lab). The TIPS Lab aims to bridge the gap between training and implementation of trauma-informed practices in criminal courts. The TIPS Lab has developed a comprehensive Blueprint to address the urgent need for trauma-informed practices within the criminal court system. See attached for an Executive Summary of the forthcoming Blueprint.

The Center is currently offering no-cost, actionable training and technical assistance to select criminal courts to implement trauma-informed practices identified in the TIPS Lab Blueprint. Center staff will guide criminal court administrators, judges, and other partners as they prioritize, plan, and implement trauma-informed practices. Please complete this brief application to be considered for selection as an incubator site and receiving no-cost training and technical assistance: https://form.jotform.com/250224144518045

For more information, contact Alejandra Garcia at garciaa@innovatingjustice.org.

TIPS Blueprint Executive Summary

Civil Protection Orders: A Guide for Improving Practice

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges has just released a newly updated section of the Civil Protection Orders: A Guide for Improving Practice! This section of the publication focuses on the intersections of civil protection orders with firearms, military protective orders, and technology.

For more information and to access the publication, click here.

Enhancing State Court Efforts to Address Child Abuse and Neglect

In 2016, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) developed the Enhanced Resource Guidelines (ERGs) to outline best practices for handling child abuse and neglect cases. To support implementation, NCJFCJ launched a project to train select jurisdictions in ERG-based practices.

The ERGs emphasize keeping families together, ensuring access to justice, cultural responsiveness, appropriate family time, and child safety. Research has shown that ERG implementation improves case outcomes, including faster permanency, better parental understanding in court, and increased family engagement.

Researchers from the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ), NCJFCJ’s research arm, analyzed data from three urban courts trained in ERG implementation. Their pre/post analysis found that ERG training positively impacts case processing and outcomes. Post-implementation, adoption rates increased, and hearings were less likely to be continued, reducing delays. Findings are under review for publication and will be presented this April at the 24th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in Rockville, Maryland.

Additionally, NCJJ has published a catalog of dependency case management reports to help courts track key data for assessing and improving permanency outcomes. This resource provides guidance on essential data collection, report creation, and information-sharing strategies to enhance child welfare case processing.

The Rural Justice Collaborative Digest for February 2025

Funded by the State Justice Institute, the National Center for State Courts, in partnership with Rulo Strategies LLC, launched the Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC) to showcase the strengths of rural communities and highlight the cross-sector collaboration that is a hallmark of rural justice systems. These strengths include strong professional networks, deep ties to the communities they serve, resiliency, and ingenuity. The Rural Justice Collaborative is guided by an advisory council of rural practitioners representing the judiciary, public safety, behavioral health, public health, child welfare, victim services and other stakeholder-focused justice systems. The advisory council guides the initiative and has focused initial efforts on advancing innovation, promoting collaboration, and raising awareness of rural justice system needs.

RJC-Digest-Feb-2025

Courting AI: Understanding Artificial Intelligence in Courts Guide

The National Association for Court Management (NACM) has released an updated Courting AI: Understanding Artificial Intelligence in Courts Guide.

The National Association for Court Management presents the first revision of their AI Guide adding additional use cases in the courts and the broader legal profession. This guide continues to be a reference for courts and court professionals pursuing the responsible use of AI.

The AI Guide, Courting AI: Understanding Artificial Intelligence in Courts, V2 (2025) is available through the NACM Store – National Association for Court Management.

Upcoming Webinar! NACM Court Security Webinar

Wednesday, February 26th, 2025, at 3:00PM EST

The revised National Association for Court Management (NACM) Court Security Guide incorporates the latest best practices and technological advancements to help mitigate risks and ensure the protection of judiciary personnel, visitors and facilities. The guide was developed in collaboration with security experts and court managers and provides practical strategies for implementing effective security protocols. This webinar seeks to delve deeper into the discussion on court security and provide additional resources for you to implement in your court.

Join in on February 26th, 2025, at 3:00PM EST to learn how the NACM Court Security Guide can help courts just like yours implement a new court security initiative or improve on your current security protocols. The court security guide can be purchased from the NACM store for non-members and is offered for free to members as a member perk.

Register here: Webinar Registration – Zoom