Judicial & Probation Outreach Project:
On behalf of the Judicial and Probation Outreach Project team, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) would like to thank you for your interest in underage drinking-related issues and best and promising practices to create safer and healthier environments for our nation’s youth; and encourage you to engage in discussions about the topic to identify promising court practices and community engagement that will not only impact the individual youth, but will have long lasting effects in changing community norms and responses to this complex public health and safety issue.
Jeff Slowikowski
Office of the Administration
Acting Administrator
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Inside this Issue
Case Spotlight on Underage Drinking
Upcoming Electronic Seminars
Connecting to the News
Useful Data
Feedback
Please visit our enhanced website at www.udetc.org for the latest information on underage drinking and judicial resources.
Rhode Island Family Court In response to high profile incidents involving juveniles and alcohol abuse, Judge Jeremiah used the power of the Court to bring about a diverse approach to the complex problems related to underage alcohol use in Rhode Island. His efforts resulted in the development of an alcohol calendar with which the Court could employ a state-wide/system-wide response to underage drinking-related cases through a centralized process and record system that allows police across the state to check on an offender’s history and determine whether the juvenile is a candidate for diversion or should be processed in a more traditional fashion. Rhode Island’s unified court system has allowed the alcohol calendar to function in such a way as to allow the juvenile to efficiently move within the system to receive evaluations, counseling, specialized treatment and supervision under the direction of a single court. To read more about this promising court practice, click here |
| Case Spotlight on Underage Drinking: |
The West Virginia Supreme Court says a homeowner’s insurance company should not be liable for paying damages stemming from a fatal alcohol-related accident involving underage drinkers. Click here to read the entire article. |
| Upcoming Electronic Seminars: |
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009 Time: 3:00-4:15 p.m. EST Speakers: Linda Chezem, J.D., Purdue University; Claudia Fernandes, National Association of Judicial Educators; and Sean O’Connor, M.D., Indiana University School of Medicine. Description: This program is the first in a series of audio-teleconference presentations produced by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) in cooperation with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) with a focus on the relationship of the judiciary and the issues related to underage alcohol abuse. According to the National Association of State Judicial Educators, the goal of judicial branch education is to “enhance the performance of the judicial system as a whole by continuously improving the personal and professional competence of all persons performing judicial branch functions.” Underage alcohol cases remain a large part of a court’s docket. This presentation will explore the knowledge base available to judges in this area and discuss what resources need to be developed to assist judicial educators and the judicial community they support. The presenters will discuss why underage alcohol cases are such a great concern for the courts, the newest research in the area of youthful consumption of alcohol and its effect on adolescent brain development, and how judicial education plays a significant role in delivering both science and education to the judicial community. Click here to register and to see a schedule of upcoming audio conferences. |
| Connecting to the News: |
Mock trials Give Portsmouth Youths Sobering Lessons (Published November 29, 2008, New Hampshire Alleged Party Host (age 18) Gets Rebuke (Published February 4, 2009, Massachusetts) North Shore Mom To Pay $2.5 Mil For Underage Drinking Party (Published February 12, 2009, Illinois) |
| Useful Data: |
Chezem, L. Legal barriers to alcohol screening in emergency departments and trauma centers. [Journal Article] Alcohol Res Health 2004-2005; 28(2):73-9. |
| We Want to Hear from You: |
| We recognize that judges play a vital role in educating underage youth and adults who appear before them, and heavily influence community norms around the complex issues of underage drinking. Our project seeks out judges, courts, and judicial initiatives that can be held up as models for the rest of the country, and research that would be useful to the Courts when addressing these cases. We are looking for examples to highlight in our "Judicial Action on Underage Drinking" section to document how a judge, court, or judicial initiative has developed and implemented successful strategies on the complex issues around underage alcohol problems. We are also looking for media features about court responses to underage drinking that can be placed in future Judicial E-News communications and posted to our website as a resource for others in the field who may find the information of interest. If you would like to share your successes with us, please contact Aidan Moore at amoore@pire.org, or Holly Torske at torske@pire.org. We look forward to working with you and expanding our outreach to the judicial and probation communities about best and promising court practices on underage drinking-related issues. |
