By Mary Stover, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) On a recent Wednesday I, along with other CFCC Student Fellows, observed an uplifting morning in the Adult Drug Treatment Court at the Baltimore City District Court. At the conclusion of each of seven brief status hearings, the presiding judge, the Honorable Martin Dorsey, congratulated the compliant participant,…
By Kathleen Seifert, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) This semester, the CFCC Student Fellows learned about the importance of employing therapeutic jurisprudence[1] and preventive law[2] to maximize positive, therapeutic outcomes for people involved in various courts. Problem-solving courts “address matters that are under the court’s jurisdiction through a multidisciplinary and integrated approach that incorporates collaboration among court, government,…
By Taylor LoSchiavo, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) Any legal proceeding has the potential to be life changing; however, family law proceedings, in particular, can change the basic family structure for the parties. One family can become two, which could then become three or more families. This is not to suggest that such a division is…
CFCC is excited to begin the new semester with ten second- and third-year law students enrolled in the CFCC Student Fellows Program. This experiential course provides students with an in-depth examination of the policies and theories surrounding family justice system reform and cutting edge issues in family law, including unified family courts, therapeutic jurisprudence, preventive…
The spirit of giving in support of families participating in the Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) Truancy Court Program is always alive and well, but this holiday season, two enterprising members of University of Baltimore’s Black Law Student Association (BLSA) raised that spirit to a new level. Sheena Williams inspired her friend…
By James Torrence, CFCC Student Fellow (2015-2016) As America moves toward criminal justice reform, we must consider preventive measures to ensure that vulnerable children and teenagers do not enter the criminal justice system. Many have called on policymakers and school administrators to reform school disciplinary practices, such as zero-tolerance policies, in the face of research…
By Danielle Wiggins, CFCC Student Fellow 2015-2016 Truancy is a major issue here in Baltimore City public schools. Research shows that the students most likely to be chronically truant come from low-income families.[1] During my time as a Student Fellow in the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (“CFCC”) Program,…
By Sonya Sadjadi, CFCC Student Fellow 2015-2016 As a Student Fellow at the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (“CFCC”),1 I have explored many components of problem-solving courts. Problem-solving courts operate through something called “therapeutic jurisprudence.”2 Therapeutic jurisprudence is “the belief that families and children deserve an effective and efficient…
By Angela Snyder, CFCC Student Fellow 2015-2016 On June 1, 2015, the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) and the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts’ Department of Family Administration convened Maryland’s Family Justice System: A Symposium. The keynote speaker at the event…