Category: News And Announcements

SJI recently released the Grant Guideline for FY 2018.  The Grant Guideline appears as part of the National Archives and Records Administration’s Federal Register, and sets forth the administrative, programmatic, and financial requirements for applying for and administering SJI grants.

Fiscal Year 2018 Deadlines for Project, Technical Assistance, and Curriculum Adaptation Grants are as follows:

• 1st Quarter – November 1, 2017;
• 2nd Quarter – February 1, 2018;
• 3rd Quarter – May 1, 2018; and,
• 4th Quarter – August 1, 2018.

 

A new brief by the National Center for State Courts’ Center for Sentencing Initiatives, funded in part by The Pew Charitable Trusts, addresses evidence-based sentencing (EBS) as part of a comprehensive sentencing policy for probation-eligible felony offenders.

Intended for a judicial audience, the brief:

• defines evidence-based sentencing;
• explains what risk and needs assessment (RNA) instruments are;
• how they differ from risk assessment (RA) instruments; and,
• outlines how judges may appropriately use RNA information to inform community corrections-related sentencing decisions.

Also detailed is the use of RNA tools to adjudicate matters fairly, without predictive or implicit bias.  The brief notes it is, “critical that the RNA tool be properly validated on the local criminal justice population with whom it will be used.”

The brief, Use of Risk and Needs Assessment Information in State Sentencing Proceedings, and other resources can be found online: www.ncsc.org/csi.

 

The misuse of opioids such as heroin, morphine, and prescription pain medicines is not only a devastating public health crisis, it is critically affecting the administration of justice in courthouses throughout the United States. The number of children in foster care because of parental substance abuse has nearly tripled since 2012, and drug overdose deaths are at record highs.  In response to this national crisis, SJI is funding a new Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ)/Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) National Opioid Task Force to examine current efforts, develop solutions, and make recommendations to address the opioid epidemic’s ongoing impact on the justice system.

The work plan for the judicial branch task force includes the following strategies:

• Convening representatives from state and federal government and key national organizations to share existing strategies and identify unmet needs.
• Creating partnerships with entities addressing the impact of opioids on children, with specific emphasis on foster care, assisting state courts in developing opioid task forces, and working with existing state task forces to make recommendations for local response efforts.
• Developing guiding principles that state courts can use for successful collaboration among treatment providers, criminal justice systems, and child welfare agencies.
• Creating a checklist of state legislation, policy, and court rules that aid or inhibit response efforts.

 

The SJI Board of Directors met on September 11, 2017, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to make decisions on quarterly grant applications, and awarded a total of four new grants.

A Strategic Initiatives Grant (SIG) was awarded to the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), in partnership with the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) to too support the CCJ/COSCA National Opioid Task Force.  The initiative will pursue short and long-term objectives that: 1) highlight the landscape of current responses and effective practices; 2) establish a mechanism to engage justice system partners in collaborative efforts; and 3) provide immediate tools for state courts in addressing the opioid crisis.  A SIG was also awarded to the NCSC, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCFJCJ), in partnership with the CCJ/COSCA Courts, Children, and Families Subcommittee, to assess the current landscape of domestic relations cases, and promulgate recommendations to improve proceedings, rules, and practices.

A Technical Assistance (TA) Grant was awarded to the National Judicial College (NJC), the Center for Court Innovation (CCI), and NCJFCJ to build an online judicial education self-study course on human trafficking.  Additional funding and support for this project is being provided by the Center for Human Trafficking Court Solutions (CHTCS).

A Curriculum Adaptation and Training (CAT) Grant was awarded to the Missouri Office of the State Court Administrator to support statewide Institute for Court Management training programs.

The next deadline for grant applications is November 1, 2017 (FY 2018, 1^st quarter).

 

A white paper is now available from the Civil Justice Initiative that explores the feasibility of using data elements that are routinely collected in court case management systems to triage cases into the most appropriate pathway for civil case processing.

The study is based on actual case complexity as measured by the degree of judicial involvement in resolving more than 500,000 fully disposed civil cases in Arizona, Missouri, and Palm Beach County, Florida.  Using information collected from case pleadings (complaint and answer), the algorithms included in the final triage model assigned civil cases to the correct pathway in 93 percent of cases filed in limited jurisdiction courts/divisions and 74 percent of cases filed in general jurisdiction courts/divisions.  The paper concludes with geographical and structural considerations for automated civil case triage, and implementation recommendations.

This project gained momentum when the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) endorsed the work of the CCJ Civil Justice Committee, inclusive of recommendations that called for maximizing the efficiencies of court processes to minimize civil caseload delay.

 

Five years ago, state court leaders from across the country convened at the 2012 National Summit on Language Access in the Courts, where representatives from 49 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia were present.  The 2013 release of the publication A National Call to Action: Access to Justice for Limited English Proficient Litigants outlined a set of nine action steps developed during the Summit.

The Summit and the Call to Action resulted in a new level of collaboration and focus that assisted the language access community to effectively and efficiently create solutions to language barriers in the state courts.  A new website and report, titled Called to Action: 5 Years of Improving Language Access in the State Courts, 2012 – 2017, details the incredible progress state courts have made in improving language access.  The report is divided into six sections, including an assessment of needs and challenges, as well as a look at the future of language access in the state courts.

The website assembles in one place the key elements of work accomplished, including the collective charge to ensure language access, evaluation of project components, results from surveys of state courts and their partners,  programming highlights, and relevant publications.

SJI remains committed to improving language access in the state courts.  Language Access is a Priority Investment Area for SJI funding in FY 2017.  In addition, since FY 2016, SJI has awarded over $2.7 million in grants to support language access projects at the local, state, and national levels.

 

In July, the National Association for Court Management (NACM) and the International Association for Court Administration (IACA) held a joint conference outside of Washington, D.C.  With funding from SJI, NACM live-streamed conference sessions and archived its 2017 annual conference content.

The joint IACA-NACM conference was an incredible success, with over 900 attendees, faculty, and exhibitors attending.

 

A new Language of Justice Institute is now available.  The Institute is a joint project of Widener University’s Delaware Law School, the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania (FJD-Philadelphia County Courts), and the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC), and was funded in part by SJI.

The purpose of the Institute is to provide a structured academic approach to preparing candidates for the oral exams, and help improve passing rates.  It is also an excellent resource for continuing education opportunities for already-credentialed interpreters.  Located in Wilmington, Delaware, this program will have regional appeal and will attract prospective candidates from throughout Mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.

Prospective candidates, interpreters, and others who might be interested can find more information on the resource page.  A small number of scholarships are available. The application deadline is December 15, 2017.

 

Transforming Our Civil Justice System for the 21st Century: A Roadmap for Implementation provides guidance to state courts who are answering the Call to Action from the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) following their endorsement of the Report and Recommendations of the CCJ Civil Justice Improvements Committee. With continued SJI support, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), have partnered to develop this new guide to ensure the Recommendations are implemented in a way that is thoughtful, responsive to the needs of court users, well-designed, and well-executed so that the reforms have the greatest possible likelihood of success.

The Roadmap sets forth seven steps, building off the successful experiences of innovative states that have already implemented reforms:

• Lead
• Assess
• Define Issues
• Create a Working Group and Engage Stakeholders
• Develop Vision and Goals
• Develop Tailored Recommendations
• Take Action

The Roadmap is just one tool developed as part of the CJI Implementation Phase, a multi-pronged effort that includes strategic planning assistance for state judicial leadership; education and technical assistance for state and local courts; evaluation of demonstration pilot projects to document the impact of best practices; and the development of practical tools and instructions on effective implementation efforts.  For more information about the CJI Implementation Phase, visit the CJI website, or contact the Project Director, Paula Hannaford-Agor, at phannaford@ncsc.org.

 

The Courting Justice Listening Tour, which was hosted by Tavis Smiley on PBS, and supported by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and the State Justice Institute (SJI), concluded its multi-city town hall-style sessions late last year.

An archive of programs and content exists on both the Tavis Smiley Show page and the NCSC website.  According to the host’s podcast, the audience size was greater than 50,000 unique in-home viewers for each of the three listening tours.  This does not include the views of content online or via other formats.

Key takeaways from Courting Justice show a strong desire across audiences for greater transparency, accessibility for self-represented litigants, and improvements regarding fairness, especially in the area of fines, fees, and bail.  Each Courting Justice episode addressed diverse audiences, and connected state court leadership with constituents on the major issues impacting the public and the courts.