SJI NEWSLETTER SJI NEWSLETTER

In this Issue 

Page 1 

Volume 25, No. 11 

NAWJ Expands Human Trafficking Content 

SJI Grantees

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Facebook about your SJI Grant, 

be sure to use the hashtag 

#SJIGrant - we will share your 

project with the state courts. 

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NAWJ Expands Human Trafficking Content 1-2 

National Language 

Access Training 

2 

NACM Adult 

Guardianship Webinar 

3 

FY 2016 SJI Grant 

Deadlines 

3 

With grant funding from SJI, the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) continues to educate 

its members and the state courts on human trafficking. 

NAWJ’s training programs are designed to reach a 

wide audience including judges, attorneys, court 

stakeholders, and the public. The programs include 

training on all aspects of human trafficking. Although sex trafficking has received more attention in 

the media, NAWJ’s programs include training on 

various subsets of human trafficking that are not as 

well known. This includes a focus on labor trafficking and more recently, the trafficking of minors and 

adults by organized and/or criminal street gangs (SJI

-14-E-015). 

At the NAWJ Mid-Year Leadership Conference 

in Washington, D.C. (March 2014), NAWJ 

conducted a half-day training devoted to the 

topic of Access to Justice for Labor Trafficking 

Victims. Panelists discussed types, dynamics, 

and profiles of labor trafficking, forums for 

addressing labor trafficking, and recommended 

tools to address labor trafficking including the 

use of restitution orders to compensate victims. 

At the NAWJ Annual Conference in San Diego 

(October 2014), Professor Terrance Coonan, 

Florida State University College of Law, conducted an in-depth training for attendees on 

labor trafficking. Professor Coonan noted that 

labor trafficking comprises 54% of all trafficking cases and includes domestic service, agriculture, sweatshops or factories, and restaurant 

and hotel work. The training showed how: 

August 2015 

1) force, fraud, and coercion are employed 

against victims in modern labor trafficking 

cases; 2) labor trafficking is typically manifested in the U.S. economy; and 3) federal and 

some state laws address the issue of labor trafficking. 

At the NAWJ Mid-Year Leadership Conference 

in Chicago (April 2015), NAWJ presented two 

panels: Gang Involvement in Human Trafficking, and Human Trafficking: What Judges Can 

Do. Panelists discussed the intersection between human trafficking and gang involvement. 

Panelists also explained why gangs are increasingly turning to human trafficking to bolster 

their profits. Victims are seen as reusable commodities and the risk of detection and punishment is relatively low compared to other traditional crime. 

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E-SJI News Volume 25, No. 11 August 2015 

In the second session, panelist discussed the use of various collaborative 

court models to enhance the delivery of meaningful services to victims 

of human trafficking.

NAWJ will host another human trafficking training session at its upcoming Annual Conference in Salt Lake City (October 2015). Carol Owens, 

Esq., Pro Bono counsel to Jane Doe 2 in one of the largest sex trafficking 

prosecutions in U.S. history, will speak about the major impediments to 

the successful prosecution of trafficking crimes. 

Published in March 2015 by NAWJ, Trafficking in Persons – Modern 

Day Slavery serves as a program guide for Judges (SJI-14-E-235). This 

publication contains detailed information for judges to use when planning a human trafficking conference. The Guide contains sample formats for a 2 hour, 1⁄2 day, and dinner program, summarizes substantive 

training programs offered by the National Judicial College on human 

trafficking, and includes a detailed appendix with cites to books, websites, and periodicals on the topic. The Guide, along with other NAWJled initiatives, is available on the NAWJ website under, Education: Programs and Outreach.

NAWJ also continues its work as a member of the Human Trafficking 

and State Courts Collaborative. The HT Collaborative continues to play 

an integral and supportive role in many of NAWJ’s human trafficking 

projects.

Supported by SJI, the New Mexico Center for Language Access at the 

Administrative Office of the Courts, initiated and developed a portal for 

obtaining language access training in the courts. 

The Language Access Basic Training (LABT) Suite consists of interactive modules that provide introduction to language access for both monolingual and bilingual court staff. The training provides court staff with a 

basic understanding of their ethical and legal obligations, as well as current best practices in serving limited English proficient and non-English 

speaking individuals. LABT also provides training modules and an optional skills assessment for bilingual court staff. 

Outside of New Mexico, Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Nevada are top users 

of the LABT Suite, having trained several hundred court staff. New 

Mexico has used the training for its language access specialists and bilingual judiciary staff certified to provide language access services outside 

New Mexico Continues to Provide 

National Language Access Training 

the courtroom. Other states have expressed interest in incorporating 

this online training into their overall training and education programs. 

Individual courts staff and entire courts are eligible to access the LABT 

Suite for a low cost ($15.00 - $35.00/user based on the total number of 

users), and the Bilingual Skills Assessment is also available. Courts 

interested in customizing the experience for their employees may also 

explore this option by contacting the LABT administrator. 

To learn more about the LABT Suite, including training topics, computer software and hardware requirements, and the time necessary to 

complete each module, please review the website which contains 

demos of some of the training module content. 

Continued from page 1 
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SJI Board of Directors

Chairman 

James R. Hannah 

Chief Justice 

Supreme Court of Arkansas 

Little Rock, AR 

Vice Chairman 

Daniel J. Becker 

State Court Administrator 

Utah AOC 

Salt Lake City, UT 

Secretary 

Gayle A. Nachtigal 

Senior Circuit Court Judge 

Washington County Circuit Court 

Hillsboro, OR 

Treasurer 

Hernan D. Vera 

Principal 

Bird Marella P.C. 

Los Angeles, CA 

Chase T. Rogers 

Chief Justice 

Supreme Court of Connecticut 

Hartford, CT 

Jonathan Lippman 

Chief Judge of the State of New York 

New York Court of Appeals 

New York, NY 

David V. Brewer 

Justice 

Oregon Supreme Court 

Salem, OR 

Wilfredo Martinez 

County Judge 

9th Judicial Circuit of Florida 

Orlando, FL 

Marsha J. Rabiteau 

Executive Director 

Legal Policy Strategies Group 

Bloomfield, CT 

John B. Nalbandian 

Partner 

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP 

Cincinnati, OH 

Isabel Framer 

President 

Language Access Consultants, LLC 

Copley, OH

Jonathan D. Mattiello 

Executive Director 

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

federal law in 1984 to improve the quality of 

justice in the state courts. 

E-SJI News Volume 25, No. 11 August 2015 

Adult guardianship cases are some of the most complex cases handled in civil and 

probate courts. While each state differs in qualifications, processes, and monitoring 

requirements, there are standards that can guide your court in developing robust practices that enhance both court efficiencies and oversight. 

The National Association for Court Management (NACM) will offer a webinar to 

address adult guardianship issues on Wednesday, September 2, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. 

This webinar, based on SJI-funded NACM Adult Guardianship Guide provides action steps courts can take to improve guardianship practices. Concrete examples of 

innovative approaches and collaborative efforts will be highlighted. Consideration 

will be given to the level of resources available to the court. 

Hosted by NACM member Paul DeLosh and Brenda Uekert, Ph.D., Principal Court 

Research Consultant at the National Center for State Courts, this webinar is free and 

open to everyone. Registration is required. 

NACM Hosts Webinar on 

Effective Practices in 

Adult Guardianship 

FY 2016 SJI Grant 

Deadlines 

SJI enters a new fiscal year on October 1, 

2015. New applicants should be aware of 

the following FY 2016 grant deadlines for 

all of SJI’s grant types. 

FIRST QUARTER

November 1, 2015 

SECOND QUARTER

February 1, 2016 

THIRD QUARTER

May 1, 2016 

FOURTH QUARTER

August 1, 2016