By Ashley Phillips, CFCC Student Fellow 2013-2014 On October 23, 2013 the CFCC Student Fellows visited the Baltimore City Drug Treatment Court. As we entered the court room, the first thing I noticed was a chalkboard with “The A Team” written on it. I soon found out what that meant. When a participant remained drug-free…
By Lauren Vint, CFCC Student Fellow 2013-2014 With a weekly local bus ridership of 241,071, the MTA public bus system plays an oversized role in the daily lives of many Baltimore citizens. It’s no exaggeration to say that our students’ success is dependent on the smooth running of the MTA local bus system. Without a…
By Lauren Kitzmiller, CFCC Student Fellow 2013-2014 This semester our CFCC Student Fellows Program class has learned a lot about different problem-solving courts, how they work, and what methods they use. Gray Barton, Executive Director for the Maryland Office of Problem-Solving Courts, spoke to us about different problem-solving courts that the state has implemented. He…
By Corinne Kirkland-Mercedes, CFCC Student Fellow 2013-2014 The United States has the highest incarceration rates of any country in the world. According to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (“NAACP”), 1 in every 31 adults or 3.2 percent of the population is under some form of correctional control. To me these numbers…
By Gauri Khanna, CFCC Student Fellow 2013-2014 Only two sessions into the Truancy Court Program (“TCP”), I have already noticed a dramatic change in students’ attendance. While it is still early in the year, the students seem as though they want to make a genuine effort to attend school, be on time, and do well…
By Julianne Kelly, CFCC Student Fellow 2013-2014 How can we expect a child to succeed when the parent or caregiver is unequipped to assist the child? Children not only need assistance with homework and school projects, but also with social and emotional development. Parents or caregivers who struggle with their own emotional, financial and/or mental…
By Niki Holmes, CFCC Student Fellow 2013-2014 Last Wednesday, the Student Fellows with the University of Baltimore Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children, and the Courts (“CFCC”) took a “field trip” to the Baltimore City Circuit Court Family Division. The Division’s coordinator, T.Sue German gave the Student Fellows a tour of the center…
By Daniel Gordon, CFCC Student Fellow 2013-2014 As someone who has interned at a Family Law firm, it came as quite a shock to hear about the concept of a unified family court for the first time this semester. It seemed with all the benefits a unified family court could provide, one would think this…
One of the Center for Families, Children and the Courts’ (CFCC) fundamental premises is that the law must consider the realities of human development when acting upon people’s lives. Children are especially vulnerable to harm, and they also differ from adults in their capacities, understanding, and judgment. Once again, the Supreme Court has recognized this…