Volume 22, No. 11 August 2012 

E-SJI NEWS SJI NEWS

In this Issue 

4th Quarter Grant 

Applications 

1 

Immigration Action 

may Impact State 

Courts 

1 

Arkansas Court 

Security 

2 

Texas Judiciary Releases Shared Solutions Toolkit 3 

NACM Call for 

Proposals 

3 

Page 1 

SJI received 23 grant applications requesting a total 

of $1,349,759 for the 4th quarter of FY 2012. The 

Board will meet on September 17, 2012, to finalize 

decisions on grant awards for the last quarter of this 

fiscal year. The results of this Board meeting will be 

available that same week. 

SJI continues to receive inquiries regarding funding 

priorities and interests for FY 2013. The SJI Grant 

Guideline for FY 2013 will be available online 

through the SJI website in October. 

Follow SJI on 

Facebook and 

Twitter

For the latest information on 

projects, grant application deadlines, and updates. Visit SJI’s 

Facebook and Twitter pages. 

SJI Receives 4th Quarter FY 2012 

Grant Applications

The grant and Education Support Program (ESP) 

application deadlines for FY 2013 are: 1st quarter - 

November 1, 2012; 2nd quarter - February 1, 2013; 

3rd quarter - May 1, 2013; and, 4th quarter - August 1, 

2013. 

SJI staff are available to assist with questions on the 

application process, and applicants are encouraged to 

review the SJI website and social media outlets for 

information and news on recently funded projects. 

Federal Deferred Immigration Action 

for Childhood Arrivals may 

Impact State Courts

The SJI-funded Immigration and the State Courts 

Initiative, led by the Center for Public Policy Studies 

(CPPS), is alerting state courts that deferred action 

for childhood arrivals recently announced by the 

Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Citizenship 

and Immigration Services (USCIS) will likely result 

in requests for state court records by individuals applying for consideration under the program. The 

program provides deferral of removal action for two 

years, with the possibility of renewal for additional 

two-year periods, and applies to individuals who 

meet certain requirements, including having not been 

convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, three 

or more misdemeanors, or posing a threat to national 

security or public safety. 

This requirement will likely result in numerous 

requests to state courts for records, as any individual with an arrest record will have the burden of 

showing to USCIS, on the initial request and as 

part of any request for subsequent renewal, that 

the arrests did not result in conviction of any of 

the crimes that preclude eligibility for deferred 

prosecution. CPPS has published an article on the 

uses of state court records in removal proceedings 

that explains the different types of records that 

may be used by federal immigration officials to 

determine the character of a criminal conviction. 

CPPS has a website available for background 

information on these issues, recent reports, and 

guidance for how to obtain technical assistance. 
In 2007, the Arkansas General Assembly 

adopted the Arkansas Court Security Act to 

ensure safe and secure courthouse environments through a general program for security 

and emergency preparedness for the judicial 

branch. The Act created a court security grant 

program for cities and counties that have developed security and emergency preparedness 

plans. In addition, the Act created a Director 

of Security and Emergency Preparedness position with the Arkansas Administrative Office 

of the Courts (AOC). One of the Director’s 

responsibilities was to develop a required 

training and certification program of not less 

than 12 hours for court security officers, in 

addition to their basic law enforcement training. Court security officers must complete the 

program within a year of beginning service. 

In order to meet this requirement, the Arkansas AOC was awarded an SJI grant in FY 2008 

(SJI-08-T-147) to develop this new certification program. The AOC selected the National 

Center for State Courts (NCSC) to provide the 

technical assistance needed to develop the 

curriculum, and administer the training to a 

core group of court security officer trainers 

throughout the state. The principal areas of 

course coverage include: 1) overview of the 

Arkansas court system and procedures; 2) 

overview of relevant constitutional, statutory, 

and case law for court security; 3) best practices for providing courthouse and courtroom 

security; 4) procedures for jury trials; 5) prisoners in the courtroom and their transport; and 

6) protection of individuals and targeted 

threats. 

The SJI-funded court security officer “train the 

trainer” program was conducted in December 

of 2008. Following the conclusion of the 

grant, the AOC began partnering with local 

courts and law enforcement agencies to host 

the course across the state. Since 2008, 

Arkansas Judiciary Provides 

Critical Court Security Training 

E-SJI News Volume 22, No. 11 August 2012

Page 2 

approximately 1,550 law enforcement officers 

have participated in the training statewide. 

On September 13, 2011, a man entered the 

Crawford County Courthouse (located in Van 

Buren, Arkansas) looking for a judge. The 

assailant was armed with three semi-automatic 

handguns and a semi-automatic rifle when he 

entered the courthouse. There were no metal 

detectors at the entrance of the courthouse, and 

court was not in session at the time he entered 

the building. However, court staff were able 

to contact 911 through recently installed panic 

alarms that were acquired through the State’s 

court security grant program. The assailant 

shot the judge’s assistant, and then exited the 

courthouse and began exchanging gunfire with 

law enforcement officers and was eventually 

killed. Two of the responding law enforcement officers that day had completed the court 

security officer training. In subsequent interviews, both officers noted the value of this 

training, especially the modules on responding 

to violent scenarios in the courthouse. 

Despite judges, court administrators, and law 

enforcement officers working together to improve court security, not all courthouses, especially those in rural areas, are fully protected. 

Staffing, equipment, and training are all key to 

adequate protection of the courts and the citizens they serve. According to research from 

the Center for Judicial and Executive Security, 

court violence is on the rise. There has been a 

steady increase in shootings, bombings, and 

arson attacks over the last 40 years – 28 incidents from 1970-1979; 45 from 1980-1989; 67 

from 1990-1999; and 88 from 2000-2009. 

Already in 2012, there have been five courthouse shootings across the United States. The 

training and certification program developed 

in Arkansas can be a model for other states 

seeking to address this critical issue. 
Page 3 

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 

Judge 

Washington County Circuit Court 

Hillsboro, OR 

Treasurer 

Hernan D. Vera 

President & CEO 

Public Counsel Law Center 

Los Angeles, CA 

Robert A. Miller 

Chief Justice (Ret.) 

Supreme Court of South Dakota 

Pierre, SD 

Chase T. Rogers 

Chief Justice 

Supreme Court of Connecticut 

Hartford, CT 

David V. Brewer 

Chief Judge 

Oregon Court of Appeals 

Salem, OR 

Wilfredo Martinez 

County Judge 

9th Judicial Circuit of Florida 

Orlando, FL 

Marsha J. Rabiteau 

Policy Consultant 

Rabiteau Consulting 

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 22, No. 11 August 2012

Texas Judiciary Releases 

Shared Solutions Toolkit 

tify opportunities, and chart a course for the 

Texas courts that is both economical and effective. 

The goal of the summit was to launch and 

sustain local justice system improvements in 

the context of criminal, child protection, mental health, juvenile, and self-represented cases. 

The Judiciary and its partners have collaborated to make content from the Shared Solutions Summit available online in the form of a 

Toolkit. The toolkit includes videos and presentations from the summit: local project plans, 

progress reports, and data; and other information related to improving local responses to 

these key case types. 

SJI strongly supports project dissemination 

plans that include the use of websites, videos, 

e-versions of print materials, and social media. 

This increases the likelihood that local or state 

level projects will have value (and be available) to other courts across the United States. 

NACM Announces Call 

for Proposals 

The National Association for Court Management (NACM) Conference Development 

Committee is seeking proposals for the 

2013 NACM Annual Conference, July 14-

18, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas. 

The theme of this conference is Court Management 2.0, which is described in further 

detail through its call for proposals and 

concept papers. 

Submissions from the court community are 

encouraged, and should conform to the standards requested in the solicitation. 

Proposals will only be accepted via email to 

nacm@nacmnet.org through September 15, 

2012. 

With SJI assistance, the 

Texas Judiciary and the Conference of Urban Counties 

convened a Shared Solutions 

Summit for local justice leaders to share promising practices, plan collaborative local 

strategies, analyze data, iden-