#4 Veterans Courts on the Rise
Veterans courts are a rapidly growing type of
problem-solving court. The veterans court model is
based on drug or mental-health treatment courts.
While substance-abuse and mental-health treatment
are off ered as alternatives to incarceration, there is no
single model. Typically, veteran mentors assist with
the programs. Five veterans treatment courts were
identified in 2008, and as of December 2012 nearly
170 veterans courts, dockets, tracks, or programs in
over 30 states were identified by the Department
of Veterans Aff airs. Nearly 8,000 veterans had been
admitted to these courts.
#6 PA's Award-Winning Interpreter Staff Dashboard
Pennsylvania's Administrative Office of the Courts staff
transformed the standard dashboard of the Microsoft
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application
and won a 2012 Court Information Technology Officers
Consortium (CITOC) Innovation Award. The tool
was reengineered to address the needs of internal
agencies and offices. The Interpreter application was
the first solution developed using CRM. This interactive,
customizable dashboard provides information, data, and charts for the following:
Interpreter Availabilities, Continuing Education Credits,
Examination Records, Interpreter Events, Interpreter
Languages, and Interpreter Regions.
# 9 Courts Reach Out with Civics Education
State court civic education initiatives are critical to maintaining an
independent judiciary. Lawyers and members of the judiciary have
access to organizations such as bar associations and judicial conferences
through which they can promote the teaching of civics. Many state court
systems have broadened civics education through experiential learning
modules such as mock trials, case studies, and service learning. State
courts should partner with schools and encourage the use of Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor's iCivics program at www.icivics.org. This site offers
free, interactive games and lesson plans tailored to the ways in which the
21st-century student learns best.
#10 Signed, Sealed, and
Delivered
Signed, sealed, and delivered is
more than a Stevie Wonder song;
it represents the attestation of an
action or record of a court dating back
centuries. Technology, however, has
outpaced the days of wax seals and
impressions. Over the last decade, at
least 14 states have revised their court
rules or statutes to allow for e-seals,
while another dozen have bills or
proposed rules on the subject.
#3 Video Technology Taking Off in State Courts
States use video technology in various ways. In 2011, the number of courts with videoconferencing capability in
Michigan grew from 22 to 61. From 2010 to 2012, the number of corrections inmates transported by video increased
nearly sixfold — a significant savings of time and money. Many states use video remote interpreting (VRI) to assist with
language access issues. California developed guidelines to help courts and judicial staff identify when VRI may be
appropriate for American Sign Language interpreted events, to identify minimum technology requirements for
VRI, and to provide a self-assessment for interpreters planning to provide VRI services.
#5 America's Youth in Confinement
Although juvenile crime rates continue to decline, the
United States still locks up more children than the rest
of the industrialized world. Only 5 percent of children
arrested have committed a violent crime, and 40 percent
are being held for technical violations, drug possession,
low-level property offenses, public-order offenses, and
status offenses (such as possession of alcohol). The
good news is that the rate of confinement is declining
from the 1995 peak of 107,637 on a single day. African-
American youth are still nearly five times as likely to be
confined as their white peers.
#7 More States Open Trial
Courts to Cameras
The number of states prohibiting cameras in
courts is dwindling. In April 2013, Utah joined
states that have relaxed their rules on cameras
in trial courts. For the first time in Utah's history,
television cameras, radio-recording equipment,
and personal electronic devices will be allowed
in trial courts unless a judge has a good reason to
ban these devices. Other states that have recently
expanded their rules regarding cameras in trial
courts, or developed a pilot program to study the
issue, include Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and South
Dakota. Only a handful of states have blanket
prohibitions on cameras in trial courts.
#2 D.C. Judges Hold Live Twitter Chat
For Law Day 2012, the chief judges of the District
of Columbia's courts held a Twitter chat-believed
to be the first such event in the country. Using the
hashtag #AskTheCJs, Chief Judges Eric Washington
of the D.C. Court of Appeals and Lee Satterfield
of D.C. Superior Court fielded questions from
reporters, attorneys, and residents on topics
ranging from food trucks to parking to cameras
in the courts to services for domestic violence
victims. The event was a success, and when asked
if the court would hold another chat, the judges
replied that they "will definitely" do another Q&A.
#8 More than Half of States Cut Imprisonment Rates
After nearly four decades of explosive growth, the U.S. prison population is declining. The rate fell in 29 states over
the past five years. Ten states have had a double-digit decline in rates of imprisonment from 2006-11: California (17
percent), Hawaii (16 percent), Massachusetts (15 percent), Michigan (15 percent), New Jersey (14 percent), Alaska (13
percent), New York (13 percent), Connecticut (11 percent), Delaware (10 percent), and South Carolina (10 percent).
The reduced rate of imprisonment is due to evidence-based policy changes. Although part of the motivation was
fiscal, this decline will likely continue when budget pressures ease.
#1 New Jersey Pilots "Summons Only"
Juror Mailing
New Jersey summons 1 million potential jurors each
year. Since 2011 it has off ered an online questionnaire
to all jurors, which most chose not to use. In 2012, a
pilot project was started that sent a summons with
instructions on how to fill out the online questionnaire.
If the online questionnaire was not filled out within ten
days, a paper questionnaire was sent. Online responses
more than doubled for each participating county. Jurors'
comments and reactions were overwhelmingly positive.
New Jersey anticipates expanding this process to the
remaining counties in 2013, which should save the courts
significant time and money.
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