Author: Lauren Curtis

Join the National Judicial Network

The National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP), working in partnership with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) on a State Justice Institute (SJI) funded project is pleased to invite you to participate in the National Judicial Network: Forum on Human Trafficking and Immigration in State Courts (“The Network”). The Network is seeking judges, commissioners, magistrates, Tribal judges, and other judicial officers to join the National Judicial Network, a peer to peer forum. The Network will provide a forum for judges to engage in peer-to-peer learning sessions with judges from across the country, participate in webinars, communicate with other judges in a member-only confidential Slack/Listserv, access topic-specific publications, and attend future in-person trainings on issues that arise in state courts involving human trafficking and immigrant victims.

For more information please visit: https://niwaplibrary.wcl.american.edu/wp-content/uploads/NJN-Outreach-Letter-06.15.21.pdf and https://niwaplibrary.wcl.american.edu/pubs/njn-outreach-flyer

Nine Rural Innovation Sites Selected

Nine of the country’s most innovative rural justice programs have been selected to serve as models for other communities as part of the Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC) Initiative. This initiative – a project of NCSC, Rulo Strategies and funded by State Justice Institute – will work with these sites to create educational materials for an online resource center and provide training opportunities.

The Nine (9) Innovation Sites selected include:
* South Carolina Victim Assistance Network Reaching Rural Initiative
* Lazarus Recovery Services in North Carolina
* The Center for Empowering Victims of Gender-Based Violence in Kansas
* The Rural Attorney Recruitment Program in South Dakota
* The Rural Incubator Project for Lawyers in Montana
* Texas Dispute Resolution System: Rural Mediation
* Public Defender Corporation Recovery Coach Project in West Virginia
* Scott County Coordinated Community Response (CCR) Team in Tennessee
* Family Accountability and Recovery Court in North Carolina

For more information please visit: https://www.ruraljusticecollaborative.org/innovation-sites

Convening County, Court & Justice Leaders: A Framework for Cross-System Collaboration Initiative

Funded by State Justice Institute, The National Association of Counties (NACo) and its partners at Rulo Strategies and Praxis Consulting have created the Convening County, Court & Justice Leaders: A Framework for Cross-System Collaboration Initiative. This new project initiative is designed to support court and county leaders as they partner to establish local strategic priorities and align resources to achieve their justice and public safety goals. The project will be supporting up to 10 counties focusing on enhancing justice systems, improving public safety and achieving better outcomes. Applications are due on December 6th, 2021. Apply Now! https://www.naco.org/blog/apply-now-convening-county-court-justice-leaders-initiative

Upcoming Webinar: Register Now

On Oct. 28-29, the Virtual National College on Judicial Conduct and Ethics is hosting three (3) one-hour sessions – featuring topics including crossing the line and training to prevent sexual harassment, abuse of criminal contempt power & judicial discipline and judges on social media.

The topics to be covered are:

  • Determining the appropriate sanction in judicial discipline cases
  • Crossing the line and training to prevent it: #CourtsToo
  • Abuse of the criminal contempt power and judicial discipline
  • When judges speak up
  • Lessons learned:  A decade plus of judges on social media

To Register visit, https://www.ncsc.org/topics/judicial-officers/ethics/center-for-judicial-ethics/26th-national-college

Supporting Children in the Justice System

The Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, created the Child Victims and Witnesses Support Materials. For children, participating in the justice system as a victim or witness can be especially confusing, distressing, and even re-traumatizing. Child Victims and Witnesses Support Materials was created to support children and youth during their involvement with the justice system as a victim or witness to a crime.

Transformation of Youth Justice Symposium

The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice recently hosted the Transformation of Youth Justice Symposium, co-sponsored by SJI, and supplemental half-day Training Institutes. The three-day event, held in Nashville, Tennessee, emphasized the importance of peer-to-peer learning and collaboration, which included 25 workshops, 5 plenaries, and 6 Training Institutes, providing participants with research-based and evidence-informed practical reforms that can be replicated and applied within state and local jurisdictions.

New Podcast Just Released: The Battle Over Bail Reform

New Podcast! The National Association for Court Management (NACM) has just released a new podcast episode entitled: The Battle Over Bail Reform: How 5 Courts are Coping with the Challenge Court Leader’s Advantage. The episode addresses the ongoing debate over bail reform, discussions on reducing and/or eliminating cash bail, and the pivotal role that courts play.

Utah Regulatory Sandbox Project

The Utah Office of Legal Services Innovation, an office of the Utah Supreme Court recently made history as the first state to establish a regulatory sandbox, providing a space for lawyers and other professionals to deliver nontraditional legal services under the supervision of the state supreme court. 

Additionally, this project is being evaluated through the development of a set of practical tools to facilitate an empirical and risk-based regulatory framework for legal services, including a regulatory management system, creation of a best practices handbook, and creation of a lessons learned monograph on the Utah model for legal services regulation.

October is #CybersecurityAwarenessMonth

Courts must be prepared for cyberattacks on court systems, such as denial of service and ransomware attacks on court case management systems, websites, and other critical information technology infrastructure. Courts are establishing security procedures to improve the protection of highly sensitive confidential documents filed within the court system.

SJI supports projects that assist courts in preparing for these attacks, protecting themselves online, encouraging stronger nationwide cybersecurity, decreasing their cybersecurity risks, and sharing lessons-learned to courts across the United States.

Stay up to date on the current trends regarding cybersecurity risk management and how to mitigate cybersecurity risks. Access the National Center for State Courts ‘Trends in State Courts’ article for more information.

Learn more at: Cybersecurity Awareness Month | CISA