SJI Newsletter

August 2018 | Volume 28, No. 11

    
New Bench Card Addresses Bias

in Juvenile and Family Courts

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) and the National Juvenile 

Defender Center (NJDC), with support from the SJI, released the fifth in a series of bench cards,

titled, Addressing Bias in Delinquency and Child Welfare Systems. This bench card emphasizes

eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in juvenile and family courts as critical to creating a fair and

equitable system of justice for all youth.

Youth of color are disproportionately represented at every decision point of the juvenile delinquency

court process: they face higher arrest rates for similar conduct, are afforded fewer opportunities for

diversion, and are far more likely to be detained and incarcerated. Youth of color and their families 

face similar disparities in the child welfare system, and when youth are dually-involved in the

delinquency and child welfare systems, these disparities are exacerbated.

This new bench card: 1) educates juvenile and family court judges about explicit and implicit bias;

2) provides judges with self-reflection tools to help them recognize and prevent bias in their

courtroom; and 3) offers concrete strategies to correct implicit bias.

The full series bench cards are available online:

1. Honoring Gault: Ensuring Access to Counsel in Delinquency Proceedings

2. Applying Principles of Adolescent Development in Delinquency Proceedings

3. Access to Juvenile Justice Irrespective of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and

Gender Expression (SOGIE)

4. Ensuring Young People Are Not Criminalized for Poverty: Bail, Fees, Fines, Costs and

Restitution in Juvenile Court

5. Addressing Bias
IAALS and Partners Host Webinar

Addressing Civil Justice Reform

The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) at the University of Denver will host a 

webinar that highlights the results of Arizona's court system transformation.

The webinar will be offered on Thursday, September 20, 2018, at 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM PDT and MST (AZ). 

Registration is required, and there is no cost to participate.

Arizona has long been a leader in civil justice reform and has taken the lead in today's national civil justice reform 

movement. In 2015, Arizona established a Committee to make recommendations for transforming Arizona's 

court system, and Arizona's Committee looked to the Conference of Chief Justices' Call to Action, as well as the 

2015 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The webinar, which is approved for one CLE in 

Colorado (with other states pending), will include the new civil rule amendments that went into effect July 1, 2018. 

Presenters will speak to Arizona's efforts, and provide important insight into state reform efforts nationally.

NACM 2018 Annual Meeting and 

2019 Meeting Call for Proposals

The National Association for Court Management (NACM) 2018 Annual Meeting, held last month in Atlanta, 

Georgia, reached a sold-out audience of over 700 court managers, judges, vendors, consultants, and others 

engaged in professional development. Past meeting educational content, including recorded sessions, is 

available online.

Whether you're an industry expert or a professional in the field, NACM is interested in your ideas for plenary 

sessions, workshops, and speakers for future meetings. The 2019 Midyear Meeting will be held in Little Rock, 

Arkansas, February 10 - 12, 2019. Call for Proposals are currently open now through September 10, 2018. 

Any questions should be directed to Will Simmons at will@nacmnet.org.
SJI Board of Directors

Chair

John D. Minton, Jr.

Chief Justice

Supreme Court of Kentucky 

Frankfort, KY

Vice Chair

Daniel J. Becker

State Court Administrator 

(ret.) Utah AOC

Salt Lake City, UT

Secretary

Gayle A. Nachtigal

Senior Circuit Court Judge 

Washington County Circuit 

Court Hillsboro, OR

Treasurer

David V. Brewer

Justice

Oregon Supreme Court 

Salem, OR

Jonathan Lippman

Chief Judge of New York (ret.) 

of Counsel Latham

Watkins, LLP

New York, NY

Chase T. Rogers

Chief Justice (ret.)

Supreme Court of Connecticut

Hartford, CT

Wilfredo Martinez

County Judge

9th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Orlando, FL

Marsha J. Rabiteau

Executive Director

Center for Human Trafficking Court 

Solutions Bloomfield, CT

Hernan D. Vera

Principal

Bird Marella P.C.

Los Angeles, CA

Isabel Framer

President

Language Access Consultants, LLC 

Copley, OH

Jonathan D. Mattiello

Executive Director

The State Justice Institute is a federally-funded, non-profit corporation established by 

federal law in 1984 to improve the quality of justice in the state courts.

Products and Resources

Since 2011, SJI has designated the library at the National Center for State Courts as the 

official repository of published work related to SJI-supported grant projects. You can 

search the ecollection online by using the term, State Justice Institute.

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information of interest to the entire state court community. If your organization's work 

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