An edited transcript from a day-long roundtable that brought together judges, court administrators, probation officials, prosecutors, police chiefs and defense attorneys from across the country to discuss lessons they have learned from projects that did not succeed.
This report presents a process evaluation of the first five years of the Bronx Juvenile Accountability Court, including a description of the model, accomplishments, implementation challenges, stakeholder perceptions, and future directions.
Amy Pumo is the director of the Child and Adolescent Witness Support Program located in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. She has a background in psychology and social work with a specialization in trauma. She spoke with Carolyn Turgeon about the project.
Theron Bowman began his law enforcement career with the Arlington Police Department in Arlington, Texas—a city of over 300,000—nearly 25 years ago, just before its community policing program began. He has been chief of police since 1999. In January 2007, he participated in a roundtable, assembled by the Center for Court Innovation and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, to discuss failure and innovation in criminal justice, a transcript of which is scheduled to be published in the first issue of the Journal of Court Innovation in the fall of 2007.
Written by the 2006-2007 Youth Justice Board, this report proposes 14 specific recommendations to improve the court experiences and outcomes for adolescents in foster care.
Cass County District Court Judge John P. Smith and Leech Lake Tribal Court Chief Judge Korey Wahwassuck have worked together since 2006 presiding over the post-conviction, post-sentencing Driving While Intoxicated Court in Cass County, Minnesota. They spoke with Center for Court Innovation staff about the innovative, collaborative program.
A detailed look at a one of the first felony mental health courts in the country, this article describes why the court's planning team chose to focus on felonies rather than misdemeanors and how the court and its partners manage potential public safety risks.
A paper outlining best practice recommendations for courts hearing domestic violence cases, emphasizing that judges should consider financial support and other issues with victim safety in mind.
A study conducted in collaboration with VCS Inc. that examines how criminal courts respond when domestic violence offenders are noncompliant with a court mandate to a batterer program. The study, based on a national survey of courts, batterer programs, and victim assistance agencies in all 50 states, detected overwhelming support for the goal of "accountability" in theory but a gap between theory and practice. A brief article highlighting the major findings appeared in Judicature.
