The Heroin Problem

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…

A Glimpse into the Future of Justice: Therapeutic Jurisprudence and Baltimore City’s Veterans Treatment Court

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…

From Therapeutic Jurisprudence to Roper: When Social Science Serves as Authority in Law

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…

A Therapeutic Path Through Drug Court

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…

PTSD in Children

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…

The Story of George Trevino: A Lesson that the Holistic Approach Employed by Family Courts Requires a Concerted Effort by All

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…

Drug Treatment Court’s Effect on Recidivism Rates

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…