The Courts in Nevada have invested in the development of electronic systems to improve transparency, accessibility and efficiency of court processes. These investments have significantly reduced the time taken from initiating a case to its final disposition. Unlike most Court processes, guardianships commence at disposition and can last for decades, for example the guardianship of a mentally disabled child.
Guardianships in Nevada are currently monitored annually with the guardian filing various mandatory reports with the court. To improve oversight, the Supreme Court of Nevada, Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) initiated a project, funded by the State Justice Institute and in conjunction with the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), to build an online portal to monitor guardianships. Moving to an electronic platform permits the guardian, and the court to track a protected persons Health & Welfare, income, expenses and assets in real time.
This is achieved through a built-in alerts system that flags financial inconsistencies, health & welfare concerns and the timeliness of a guardians reporting to the court. Financial oversight is via PLAID, an application that connects the portal directly with a protected person’s bank accounts, credit cards and other financial accounts in real time. Inconsistencies are flagged immediately for further investigation. Health & Welfare alerts focus on exceptions. For example, failing to regularly visit a protected person, abuse of a protected person, or missing a medical appointment are flagged for follow-up. The portal uses TWILIO, a leading cloud services provider, to alert guardians and court staff when reports are due and overdue. The portal stands apart from but is linked to individual court case management systems.
“I like that the portal prepares filings for me. Now all I need to do is review and press file and it’s done.”
-A public guardian
“The direct download to the transactions file saves me over hours of work a month, and it’s accurate!”
-A private guardian
“The H&W summary report saves me from having to read through all the pages of the Annual Report, it’s real time saver.”
-A court user
May 1, 2025
The National Center for State Courts announces the upcoming “Guide for Remote Dependency Hearings,” a comprehensive resource, funded by SJI, developed as an addendum to the Remote Proceeding Toolkit. Child abuse and neglect hearings require additional considerations for effective remote proceedings given their confidential nature and multiple participants. The Guide for Remote Dependency Hearings offers specialized …
April 1, 2025
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 …
March 1, 2025
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, …
February 1, 2025
Behavioral health diversion is built on a guiding hypothesis: Diverting non-violent individuals with serious mental illness away from the criminal justice system and into community-based treatment and support services will transform lives, reduce recidivism, generate cost savings, and ease the burden on jails, courts, and state hospitals. This hypothesis has been proven in well-resourced urban …
January 1, 2025
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) has brought together experts and practitioners to develop comprehensive guidance on AI Readiness for the state courts. The project, funded by SJI, aims to provide resources for courts along the whole spectrum of AI maturity, from courts that are just beginning to think about AI to courts that …
December 1, 2024
The RFK National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice (RFKNRCJJ) has used a proven framework to partner with state and local jurisdictions to conduct multiple probation and youth justice system reviews designed to improve outcomes for youth and families at-risk or involved in the juvenile justice systems for more than fifteen years. RFK’s successful technical assistance …