Category: News

Funded by the State Justice Institute, the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) led a site visit to Dayton, Ohio where three teams of justice practitioners, treatment providers, and representatives from the court and child-welfare systems from across the country experienced Dayton’s cross-sector collaboration approach to addressing substance use disorder (SUD) in their community. This site visit came out of the report Cross-Sector Collaboration Between Law Enforcement, Courts, Child Welfare, and Schools to Address the Impact of Substance Use published in 2023 by SJI along with the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid Stimulant and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), that highlighted “eight key ingredients” to successful cross-sector collaboration across law enforcement, child welfare, courts, and schools. These eight keys were based on information gathered through a questionnaire and interviews with 12 different communities. Dayton, Ohio, was one of these communities and was chosen for this site visit to showcase their strong cross-sector relationships and programs that have successfully addressed SUD and positively impacted their larger community.

During the site visit, teams participated in several listening sessions to include panels comprised of representatives from the Dayton Police Department, East End Community Services, Wright State University, Dayton Fire Department, Family Treatment Court, Certified Peer Supporters, Montgomery County Public Health, Dayton Camp Mariposa, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Topics included a history of cross-sector collaboration to reduce the impact of SUD, incorporating peers with lived experience in post-overdose outreach, supporting families and children using the family treatment court model, research and evaluation, and key ingredients for successful cross-sector collaboration.

Attendees also had the opportunity to experience two of Dayton’s unique and successful programs first-hand. Conversations for Change (C4C) is a community event that takes place every other month to bring information about treatment and other resources to community members struggling with SUD. A C4C event typically includes a motivational speaker with lived experience, discussions about various relative topics, training and distribution of harm reduction methods, information about treatment, and other necessary recovery resources. Teams were able to attend one of these events while on the site visit. They also partnered with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Certified Peer Supporters, treatment providers, and other volunteers to go on a GROW (Get Recovery Options Working) Blitz. During the Blitz, attendees along with their assigned team went door to door in the community to provide resources, education, and linkage to services for anyone they encountered. 

 SJI, IIR, and Mtn Craft produced a video during the site visit to showcase the inspiring work Dayton-Montgomery County is doing to serve as a resource for communities across the country. This video is available on the COSSUP resource center at https://www.cossup.org/ResourceLibrary/Details/fff92dae-06f3-4be5-9ad3-89906f07ccd8.

The 4^th Quarter Board Meeting was held on September 9, 2024, at the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.  Members of the SJI Board, Executive Director, Jonathan Mattiello, and Senior Program Advisor, Michelle White, were joined by Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Clerk of the Court of Appeals Julio Castillo, Executive Officer of the Courts Herbert Rousen, and other court staff.

SJI received seven grant applications requesting a total of $410,864 for the 4^th quarter of FY 2024.

The Board awarded one Project Grant to the Arizona Supreme Court to support the Arizona Legal Apprentice Program, which will provide an alternative pathway to licensure for individuals who score between 260 and 269 on the bar exam, with an overall goal of increasing the number of attorneys available to practice.  Participants will work under a qualified supervising attorney for two years in a rural area or public interest area.  Upon successful completion, participants will be fully admitted to the State Bar.

Three (3) Technical Assistance Grant applications were awarded: 1) the Superior Court of Riverside County, California, for a strategic planning project; 2) American University to further develop the National Judicial Network forum for human trafficking and the state courts; and, 3) the 6^th Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan to develop a strategic plan and improvement priorities.

Three (3) Curriculum Adaptation and Training Grants were awarded: 1) the American Judges Association for educational programming during the 2025 annual meeting; 2) the National College of Probate Judges to engage expert faculty for the 2024-2025 educational meetings; and, 3) the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, California, to develop a comprehensive leadership academy to enable judges to develop the skills and abilities required to serve in leadership roles with the Court.

The next deadline for grant applications is November 1, 2024.

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.

Access the PDF and read more here: RJC Digest – September 2024 (ruraljusticecollaborative.org)

The FY 2024 4th Quarter SJI Board meeting was held yesterday, September 9th, 2024, at the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington, DC. Executive Director, Jonathan Mattiello, Senior Program Advisor, Michelle White, and members of the SJI Board were joined by Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby of the DC Courts.

IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, released Unlocking Legal Regulation: Lessons Learned and Recommendations for Launching and Sustaining Regulatory Reform. This new report highlights results and recommendations on how legal regulation innovation can address the continued and urgent legal services gap faced by the majority of Americans today.

“IAALS has been at the forefront of regulatory innovation through our Unlocking Legal Regulation work, and we’re deeply involved in what’s happening across the nation when it comes to this important movement,” said Jessica Bednarz, Director of Legal Services and the Profession at IAALS. “We’re now at a point where leaders in this space can draw upon their past experiences and share out what has worked and should be replicated, as well as what has not and needs further consideration.”

To this end, in October 2023, IAALS hosted its third regulatory-focused convening, bringing together a small group of leaders from states considering or implementing regulatory innovation to focus on the following three objectives:

• Objective 1: Learn from past and current regulatory innovation initiatives to develop an initial round of recommendations that supplement existing resources for launching and sustaining regulatory reform.
• Objective 2: Determine which stakeholder relationships the regulatory innovation community needs to further develop, and what resources and research still need to be developed to launch new regulatory innovation initiatives and to sustain existing ones.
• Objective 3: Strengthen existing relationships—and develop new ones—so the group can continue to work together and build momentum as one regulatory innovation community.

The report outlines the convening topics and relevant discussion and lays out a set of 12 recommendations drawn from those discussions, covering stakeholder engagement, program structure and requirements, messaging, research and data, and other areas. 

Read the full blog article here: New IAALS Report Offers Recommendations for Advancing Regulatory Reform Nationwide to Address Dire Gap in Legal Services for Majority of Americans | IAALS (du.edu)

The State Justice Institute mourns the loss of Judge Slone. He worked tirelessly to support people and their families impacted by substance use disorder, particularly in rural communities. He was a gifted innovator that truly embraced the role of the judge as a convener, leader and changemaker. He will be deeply missed.

Full Statement: Judiciary Mourns the Sudden Passing of Circuit Court Judge O. Duane Slone | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (tncourts.gov)

Courts across the country are recognizing the potential of digital tools to bridge the gap for self-represented litigants navigating complex legal issues. These tools assist users in understanding the legal process and help them make informed decisions about their case.

Working with the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), Philadelphia’s Municipal Court recently introduced two new digital assistants: Tenant Landlord Digital Assistant (T/LDA) and Consumer Debt Information Bot (CODI).

These tools serve as virtual companions—offering step-by-step guidance and plain language explanations—for self-represented litigants in landlord-tenant and consumer debt cases, adding Philadelphia to the growing list of courts embracing innovative technology solutions to improve court services.

“The majority of our litigants are pro se,” said Judge Gregory Yorgey-Girdy, supervising judge of the Civil Division, Philadelphia Municipal Court. “This technology gives them the keys to unlock the doors of the legal process and allows easier access to the Philadelphia Municipal Court.”

Digital Assistants

Philadelphia’s new digital assistants guide court users through the landlord/tenant and consumer debt process. By answering questions about their situation, court users receive a customized “just-in-time” plan in a friendly, plain language document they can bring to court.

“There is no shortage of legal information online. Sometimes the challenge for users is managing it all and determining what to do next,” said NCSC Court Management Consultant Aubrie Souza. “Digital assistants enable individuals to focus on the next steps in their case rather than figuring out how to digest and piece together information found online.”

Read the full article here: Growing use of digital assistants and virtual tools to improve A2J | NCSC

Youth across the country are facing unprecedented challenges, from community violence to mental health issues to school absences.  These new resources from the CSG Justice Center provide state leaders, policymakers, and youth justice professionals with critical data and evidence-based solutions to address the growing challenges faced by youth and the systems designed to support them:

• Navigating Concerns on Youth Crime, Violence, and Justice: What Does the Data Say?  Details the most recent national data trends on youth mental health, arrests, violence, court cases, incarceration, and disparities along with key implications and recommendations for needed policy, practice, and funding improvements. These resources provide state leaders, policymakers, and youth justice and service professionals with critical data and evidence-based solutions to address the growing challenges faced by youth and the systems designed to support them.  Also, save your spot for the accompanying webinar. Register here: https://csg-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AyhQKk3oR7quTEIDuNQHWg#/registration

• Support or Court: How States Respond to Youth Who Commit Noncriminal Offenses and Children Who Break the Law. Many states are experiencing severe service and staffing shortages and youth are often pushed into the juvenile justice system, not because they are a public safety risk, but to receive needed services. This report focuses on youth who commit status offenses and children who break the law (minimum age of juvenile court jurisdiction), shares findings from a 50-state scan, and provides key takeaways and a call to action for more effective, systemic, community-based responses. 

• From First Offense to Future Arrests: The Impact of Probation on Youth.  This study by The Pew Charitable Trusts, based on data provided by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and analyzed by researchers at the CSG Justice Center and Pew, shows that diverting youth from probation could improve juvenile justice system efficiency and public safety outcomes.  

On June 18th, 2024, President Biden nominated LaKresha Moultrie to the SJI Board of Directors.  Ms. Moultrie has led a career dedicated to service in the Delaware community.  She currently serves as Vice President of Legal Affairs, General Counsel, and Chief Enterprise Risk Officer at Delaware State University, one of America’s leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In this role, she provides legal counsel to the University and its Board of Trustees. She also uses her legal expertise to assess critical issues facing the institution. Recently, she helped guide the University through the acquisition of Wesley College, which gained the University the distinction as the first HBCU to ever acquire a college or university.

Prior to joining Delaware State University, Ms. Moultrie led a successful career at the Delaware Department of Justice where she began as an entry-level prosecutor and progressed to Chief Deputy Attorney General, second-in-command of the office. Her career at the Department included trial and appellate work in all the State courts.  She received her law degree from Delaware Law School of Widener University and her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Pace University. Moultrie’s professional accomplishments and charitable activities were acknowledged when she was recognized by The Delaware Business Times as part of the Class of 2015 “40 Under 40” and one of the “40 Most Empowering Women in Business” in 2021.