Features

By Jenny Bauer, Staff Attorney | Office of Court Services An important part of Indiana’s criminal code reform was the General Assembly’s creation of the Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council in 2015. The original nine members of the Council included leaders from the executive and judicial branches of government as well as leaders from the community corrections and probation officer professional associations. The Co … [Read more...] about Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council Meetings

By Leslie Dunn, State Director of GAL/CASA | Office of Court Services The State Office of GAL/CASA held its 24th annual conference (virtually, for the first time ever) on September 26, 2020. Over 1,100 program staff and volunteers attended the event—a record-breaking number! The “Do Something Small to Change Something Big” conference featured four inspiring and educational plenary speakers. Ashley Rhodes-Courter shar … [Read more...] about GAL/CASA Conference: Do Something Small to Change Something Big

By Bradley Skolnik, Executive Director | Office of Admissions & Continuing Education During its 90-year history, the Indiana bar exam had been offered 187 times as a traditional in-person, closed-book examination. Regardless of the circumstances, the exam was almost always administered like clockwork. Even during World War II, when many men of test-taking age were serving their country overseas, the bar exam was … [Read more...] about A Bar Exam Unlike Any Other

By Ashley A. Moise, Education Staff Attorney | Office of Court Services One of the realities of COVID-19 is that education doesn’t quite look the same. Across the nation, schools and universities have transitioned to distance learning. Indiana Judges have also transitioned to distance learning to obtain their mandatory continuing judicial education, also known as CJEs. State-level judicial officers must complete at l … [Read more...] about Judicial Education in the Age of COVID

Video by Mary Kay Hudson, Executive Director of Office of Court Services with guests Allen County Court Administrator John McGauley and Judge Frances Gull Some Indiana problem-solving courts have found innovative ways to adapt to COVID-19. Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull and Court Executive John McGauley discuss the importance of strategic planning and creativity when pulling together court-hosted events during … [Read more...] about Problem-solving court adapts to COVID-19