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…
On October 23, 2015, the University of Baltimore School of Law Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children, and the Courts (CFCC) and the National Family Resiliency Center (NFRC) convened the “Family Transitions: Issues Solutions, and Policies Conference” at the University of Baltimore School of Law. The conference was well attended by approximately 300…
By Kelsie Potts, CFCC Student Fellow 2015-2016 Youth involvement in combating socioeconomic issues is crucial in improving the well-being of those in need. As a Student Fellow in the Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) Student Fellows Program, I have learned that factors such as poverty, homelessness, lack of transportation, being a young…
By Jordan Posner, CFCC Student Fellow 2015-2016 Our journey in the CFCC Student Fellows Program class last week addressed the importance of problem-solving courts that can be holistic approaches for individuals in the judicial system. They can also serve as a type of intervention before a person becomes involved with the justice system (e.g., Teen…
By Kayla Faria, CFCC Student Fellow 2015-2016 Founded on a bedrock of therapeutic jurisprudence, some truancy courts are aimed to solve problems and address truant behavior, but – like so much of our justice system – this underlying theoretical foundation crumbles without practical vigilance. These courts can facilitate a transformative space that transcends the school-to-prison pipeline…
By Amanda Odorimah, CFCC Student Fellow 2015-2016 At the beginning of this semester, I enrolled in the CFCC Student Fellows Program hoping to have an opportunity to help children and families involved with the court system. Having spent the past few years working in the classroom, I saw students who fell victim to problems such…
By Charisse Lue, CFCC Student Fellow 2015-2016 It is now over 17 years since Maryland Rule 16-204 established the Maryland Family Division.[1] Rule 16-204 not only gave the Family Division subject–matter jurisdiction over issues like divorce, adoption, custody, and child protection, but it was also an acknowledgment by the court system that Maryland families needed more…
By William Clayton Donley III, CFCC Student Fellow 2015-2016 As a student in the Center for Families, Children and the Courts Student Fellows Program, I have had the opportunity to conduct research on the types of programs available for those in need of mental health care and substance abuse treatment. The research was tailored towards…