Category: News And Announcements

Upcoming Webinar! Mental Health Diversion: Lessons from the Field

Upcoming Webinar! Mental Health Diversion: Lessons from the Field on December 11th, 2023, at 4:00PM EST.

In 2022, the National Judicial Task Force to Examine Courts’ Responses to Mental Illness recommended that the Judge’s Guide to Mental Health Diversion, a vital tool for judges across the country for over a decade, should be updated.

The new guide, with revisions by the National Center for State Courts, along with stakeholders and national experts, contains updated information and relies on a better understanding of how to effectively divert people with mental health and co-occurring disorders towards treatment at every stage of legal system involvement.

Attendees of this webinar will learn about the soon-to-be-released Judge’s Guide to Mental Health Diversion, how courts in Kentucky and Missouri used the guide to develop new diversion opportunities, and NCSC’s ongoing efforts to improve outcomes for people with mental health and co-occurring disorders.

Register here: Webinar Registration – Zoom

Upcoming Webinar! Nonlawyer Navigators in State Courts: Voices from the Field

Upcoming Webinar! Nonlawyer Navigators in State Courts: Voices from the Field on December 8th, 2023, at 2:00PM EST.

In this NCSC webinar, you will hear from Mary McClymont to discuss emerging trends in across the country from her report, Nonlawyer Navigators in State Courts: Part II — An Update. You will also hear from a panel of experts who run navigator programs about how to leverage nonlawyers to provide essential services to court users and best practices in launching and evolving court-based navigator programs. For more information and a copy of the original 2019 navigator report, visit the Georgetown Justice Lab’s Court Navigators Research Website, and don’t miss NCSC’s Tiny Chat with tips on how to start a navigator program!

Register here.

Seeking Juvenile Courts for Demonstration Sites Project

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), with funding from the State Justice Institute (SJI), is pleased to announce that they are seeking juvenile courts that are interested in participating in the Enhanced Juvenile Justice Guidelines Demonstration Sites Project. Applications are due by December 31, 2023.

What Does it Mean to be a Demonstration Site?

The jurisdictions that participate in the Enhanced Juvenile Justice Guidelines Demonstration Sites Project will engage in an eighteen-month process to identify and address issues in adjudicating and delivering services in juvenile delinquency cases. The Enhanced Juvenile Justice Guidelines identify many different areas that courts can consider for improvement including improving timelines for case processing; using risk/need assessment information; reducing the use of fines and fees; implementing alternatives to detention; collaborating with the education system to reduce school pathways to the justice system; identifying and addressing gaps in services, and many more. Jurisdictions who participate in the project will have access to regular assessment of court practice, technical assistance, strategic planning support, expert national training and trainers, and a peer support network. Please note that while there is no site-specific funding available, you will receive all of the support and tools you need to change your court practice.

The project is open to all courts that work with delinquent offenses. Your program should be judicially lead and be prepared to bring together a group of system stakeholders who are committed to changing court practice. A commitment from your lead judge and the approval of your presiding judge is required. Tribal courts are encouraged to apply.

Application direct link will be available soon. In the meantime, any questions regarding the application process please contact Jessica Pearce, Senior Site Manager, NCJFCJ at jpearce@ncjfcj.org or (775) 507-4799.

Upcoming Webinar! Ensuring Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) – Court Considerations

Upcoming Webinar! Ensuring Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) – Court Considerations. When? December 4th, 2023, at 12:00PM EST.

Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), formerly known as Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), which may be in combination with counseling and psychosocial services, is the evidence-based standard of care for treating opioid use disorder (OUD). However, access to and retention in MOUD remains limited in many jurisdictions.

This webinar will educate courts and their collaborative partners on:

-The Neurobiology of #OUD and how #MOUD works and their FDA-approved uses;

-MOUD myths and misconceptions;

-Basics of MOUD in court settings and judges’ roles and responsibilities to persons with OUD;

-Legal protections for persons taking legally-prescribed MOUD.

Register now: https://ncsc-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3iQ_-eCmS-mcehS_9-cXqg?utm_campaign=422207_Webinar%3A%20Ensuring%20Access%20to%20Medications%20for%20Opioid%20Use%20Disorder%20%28MOUD%29%20-%20Court%20Considerations&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dotdigital&dm_i=7L57,91RZ,4VVT7N,1APF4,1#/registration

Diversion and Alternative Reform Team Guidebook

The RFK National Resource Center is pleased to present the Diversion and Alternatives Reform Team Guidebook, representing an updated version of our previously published Alternative Response Initiative (ARI) Workbook. The DART Guidebook was developed to support youth justice system stakeholders in reviewing and reforming diversionary and alternative accountability policies and practices. Retaining the successful five-step approach from the original ARI publication, the DART Guidebook builds upon lessons learned from our jurisdictional experiences since 2019. It also incorporates new examples and testimonials from youth justice professionals across the United States, emphasizing the potential for successful collaborative diversion practices that offer a comprehensive set of alternative responses to formal prosecution.

For more: Diversion and Alternatives Reform Team Initiative | Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice (rfknrcjj.org)

Natural Language Programming

Natural Language Programming (NLP) is a field of computer science that employs predictive analytics and machine learning with a focus on the interaction between computers and both written and spoken language.  Over the past decade, courts have successfully employed NLP techniques for routine case management tasks such as redaction, data extraction, document classification, and automated data population into databases.  With generous funding from the State Justice Institute, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) explored the feasibility of NLP to support civil case management.  The project focused on two stages of civil case management — assigning cases at filing to an appropriate case processing track and reviewing case filings to ensure that fundamental guarantees of procedural due process are satisfied before entering final judgment.  The Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators identified both stages as critical to effective civil case management in their recommendations for the Civil Justice Initiative. 

The studies employed NLP techniques for data extraction, relational matching, and document classification, comparing its performance with the same tasks performed by trained staff.  On data extraction tests, NLP performed at 90% or higher on most data elements needed for case triage, and likely would have performed even better with additional human direction during the machine learning phase of the study.  It was less successful on the document classification test, but largely due to poor image quality on the documents themselves rather than inability to accurately extract the necessary data for analysis.  Based on the findings, NCSC emphasized the need for adequate human involvement in the machine learning phase to ensure consistent and accurate performance as well as high quality data on which to begin learning.  In addition to the final report, the NCSC developed instructional videos on NLP and other artificial intelligence technologies, strategies for implementing these technologies, and a resource guide, all of which are available at https://www.ncsc.org/cji.

Seeking Applicants for the Reaching Rural Initiative

The Reaching Rural Initiative is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the State Justice Institute (SJI), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Seeking Applicants! Application Deadline: December 15th, 2023.

We are seeking individual practitioners or cross-sector teams from the same community or region interested in adopting bold solutions and reimagining how diverse organizations and agencies with different missions can engage with one another to address the persistent challenge of substance use and misuse in rural communities.

The Reaching Rural Initiative is designed for rural agency leaders or mid-level professionals working in counties, cities, or tribes as justice, public safety, public health, or behavioral health practitioners. Applicants may apply to participate in the Reaching Rural initiative as an individual practitioner or as a member of a cross-sector team from the same community or region.

Read more here: https://www.sji.gov/wp-content/uploads/Reaching_Rural_Advancing_Collaborative_Solutions.pdf

All application components must be submitted via
online application:
— Cross-Sector Team application link here: http://s.iir.
com/d5a7RnpQ
— Individual application link here: http://s.iir.com/
XbmG95w7

All required application components must be submitted via online application no later than 5:00pm EST on December 15, 2023. Applicants will receive a notice of submission upon completion of the online application.

Reaching_Rural_Advancing_Collaborative_Solutions.pdf (cossup.org)

Reaching Rural Initiative – Reaching Rural (cossapresources.org)

Engaging in Impactful and Positive Probation and Youth Justice System Improvement

The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice‘s new, brief video captures the methods and process through which your jurisdiction can undertake critical steps that produce significant improvements of the performance of your youth justice system. Featuring RFK National Resource’s Executive Director, John A. Tuell, and Deputy Executive Director, Jodi Martin, the video reflects the work that courageous youth justice leaders across the country have undertaken to produce important and necessary advances in their #youthjusticesystem using the Probation and Youth Justice System Review. The #video also highlights the opportunity to analyze and reform probation and court staff policies and practices that ultimately produce outcomes for youth, families, and communities.

To watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=W-TlIxlREr-TGTu9&v=nGHbOSalcJw&feature=youtu.be

For more information: https://rfknrcjj.org/our-work/

Upcoming Webinar! Emerging Adults Online Training Series

Upcoming #Webinar! Emerging Adults Online Training Series on October 17, 2023, at 1:30PM EST.

This National Center for State Courts webinar will launch training modules designed to equip attorneys and court professionals with the tools they need to better assist emerging adults (ages 18-25) in the #justice system.

The series includes modules on the topics of young #adult brain development, needs, risks, and protective factors for young adults, the behavioral health needs of young adults, and more! Each bite-sized module will include pre/post-tests for knowledge assessment, intertwined with scenario-based learning activities to enhance real-world application.

Register here: Webinar Registration – Zoom