The Indiana Court Times Editorial Board is pleased to present this special edition on Juvenile Law.
Traditionally, Court Times includes stories and information on a variety of topics, but the Board decided our readers would appreciate a special issue dedicated to how the courts serve children in our state.
There are many exciting initiatives underway designed to improve the courts’ interaction with children. This special edition includes some of those projects.
- The Indiana General Assembly created a new Commission on Improving the Status of Children and Indiana Supreme Court Justice Loretta Rush is serving as its first Chair.
- Allen Superior Court Judge Charles Pratt emphasizes judicial awareness on court performance and how delays affect children in need of services.
- The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), led by Justice Steven David, provides opportunities for youth in the juvenile justice system to develop into healthy, productive adults.
- Indiana’s Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Report examines the racial disparity of youth in the state’s correctional population.
- The Indiana Supreme Court’s Office of GAL/CASA is conducting training to qualify all CASAs who serve vulnerable youth.
- Courts collect and compile juvenile case statistical data on a range of areas through INcite and publish it in the annual Indiana Judicial Service Report.
Finally, our regular SIDEBAR column features a juvenile court judge, with a special announcement about her own family.
We hope you enjoy the issue,
The editorial board
