By Fatima Juwara, CFCC Student Fellow 2019-2020 Professor Barbara Babb said in class one day that Baltimore has suffered for decades with a tremendous heroin problem. That stood out to me. Why? Well, perhaps because Baltimore is only 1 hour and 30 minutes away from the nation’s capital. But why has Baltimore become so besieged…
By Usman O. Suleman, CFCC Student Fellow (2018-2019) Therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) is a theory of law that is one of the shaping principles of the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts. TJ is an interdisciplinary philosophy of law that takes into consideration social sciences…
By Andrew Siske, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) Early on as a CFCC Student Fellow, I learned about therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ), which can be defined as “the study of the role of law as a therapeutic agent.”[1] TJ represents a normative understanding of law which aims to identify the beneficial and harmful consequences of law, with…
By Samantha Hugo, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) Why does society look down on the practice of family law? When did family law practitioners fall into disfavor? Is it because of a misconception that family law cases cover an area that society believes is insignificant? Family law attorneys are often dismissed as social workers in comparison…
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…
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 Ashley Sewell, CFCC Student Fellow 2014-2015 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, most commonly known as PTSD, is usually associated with combat veterans. Many people are not aware that PTSD can affect children and teens, as well. Children and teens could develop PTSD if they have lived through an event that could have caused them or…
By Kevin Lauerman, CFCC Student Fellow 2014-2015 This semester I have graciously served as a Student Fellow for the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center For Children, Families, and the Courts. Throughout my involvement with this program, I have had the pleasure of interacting with enthusiastic Baltimore City students, classmates that share a similar passion for…
By Makayla Hanington, CFCC Student Fellow 2014-2015 Drug treatment courts are a source of therapeutic jurisprudence as problem-solving courts. Their purpose is to resolve underlying issues that may be the source of crimes that are being committed with a holistic and big-picture approach. In Baltimore City, the Drug Treatment Court was created in 1994 due…