eighthjdcourt

Educational and justice professionals gathered Sept. 21 at the Valley High School theater for the Keeping Kids in School Summit to gain insight on why and how to switch strategies with students who get in trouble at school.

Those in attendance at the summit heard from experts on topics including: restorative justice, de-escalating conflict in school, legal rights of youth displaced from school, creating positive connections with students, charging youth for school related behavior, early childhood education.

Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson told the audience to look up their legislator at leg.state.nv.us and to contact them on school issues. He also reminded everyone to ensure that their students have the Safe Voice app. Safe Voice also has a hotline and a website available 24/7.

Educational and justice professionals gathered Sept. 21 at the Valley High School theater for the Keeping Kids in School Summit to gain insight on why and how to switch strategies with students who get in trouble at school.

Hearing Master Margaret Pickard who presides over juvenile cases told a room packed with educational professionals, “there are three reasons that we detain youth: the safety of the school, the safety of the youth, or the safety of the community.”

Schools across the U.S. have been quick to detain students who break rules, even if the infraction wasn’t a crime outside the school walls. Experts now believe that response leads to an escalation of negative behavior that frequently leads to criminal activity. It makes the circumstances worse rather than better. The cycle is part of what is known as “the school to prison pipeline.”

Educational and justice professionals gathered Sept. 21 at the Valley High School theater for the Keeping Kids in School Summit to gain insight on why and how to switch strategies with students who get in trouble at school. The idea of turning  students over to the justice system when they break rules such as truancy, is being replaced by a new premise of immediate intervention that addresses the root cause of the unacceptable behavior. Hearing Master Margaret Pickard who presides over juvenile cases told a room packed with educational professionals, “there are three reasons that we detain youth: the safety of the school, the safety of the youth, or the safety of the community.”

Those in attendance at the summit heard from experts on topics including: restorative justice, de-escalating conflict in school, legal rights of youth displaced from school, creating positive connections with students, charging youth for school related behavior, early childhood education. Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court Judge William Voy who presides over juvenile cases offered insight on a panel along with Nevada Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson, Dr. Tiffany Tyler, Dr. Tammy Malich and Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services Director Jack Martin.

Judge Voy has been a longtime advocate of restorative justice and keeping kids engaged in school to improve performance and improve graduation rates. He presides over the Truancy Diversion Program that does just that. Judges, attorneys, mental health professionals and law enforcement officers volunteer each week to hold truancy court sessions at schools. They promote and support academic achievement using a team effort and an individual student success plan with students and their parents. The volunteer judges review the students’ attendance, school work, and progress to ensure that students have the resources they need to be successful. The program is in about 40 Clark County schools. It was in twice as many schools before grant funding ran out. Now, schools have to pay $4,000 to have the TDP in their school to cover costs associated with the program.

The panel took questions from the audience. Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson told the audience to look up their legislator at leg.state.nv.us and to contact them on school issues. He also reminded everyone to ensure that their students have the Safe Voice app. Safe Voice also has a hotline and a website available 24/7.

Each of the panel members gave their closing thoughts.

https://youtu.be/kE5p7TMeb8Y

Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court Judge William Voy who presides over juvenile cases was on a panel along with Nevada Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson, Dr. Tiffany Tyler, Dr. Tammy Malich and Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services Director Jack Martin.

evada Eighth Judicial District Court Judge William Voy who presides over juvenile cases was on a panel along with Nevada Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson, Dr. Tiffany Tyler, Dr. Tammy Malich and Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services Director Jack Martin.

Aug. Case Presentation. Kelley K. Blatnik, Esq.

Trial by Peers by Alexis Brown, Esq. and Patrick Montejano, Executive Director of the Clark County Law Foundation.

Presentation on Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, #CAPI00 – Noah Malgeri

Aug. presentation Addiction in the Legal Field Presented by Kristine Kuzemka, Esq.

Lawyers are invited to discover what’s new in Discovery and get .50 continuing legal education (CLE) credit at the Sept. 11 Civil Bench-Bar Meeting at noon in courtroom 10D at the Regional Justice Center. Discovery Commissioner Bonnie Bulla will give a brief overview of selected proposed changes to the Discovery Rules.

Judge Jim Crockett will also lead a discussion of the application of Mulder v State, 116 Nev, l, 992P2d845 (2000).  Judge Tierra Jones  will provide and update on civil overflow and the impacts to those in civil practice. Brian Downing, the department 27 law clerk will provide a Nevada Supreme Court case presentation. Lunch will be provided for the first 60 attendees.

At a recent criminal judges meeting, Judge Michael Villani, who serves as the presiding criminal judge, recognized the homicide team of judges, the attorneys and the jail staff for the rigorous work they’ve done processing cases. In just over a year, they have accomplished a lot.

Detention Transition Services Coordinator Sandy Molina, with the Clark County Detention Center, gave a brief report on the major impact on closing cases the homicide team has had on the county and jails. She conveyed that after the July 1, 2017 kickoff, it took four to six months to fully ramp up. In just one year, $1,284,840 has been saved from 8,566 saved Clark County Detention Center bed days for 83 people.

Detention Transition Services Coordinator Sandy Molina, with the Clark County Detention Center, gave a brief report on the major impact on closing cases the homicide team has had on the county and jails. She conveyed that after the July 1, 2017 kickoff, it took four to six months to fully ramp up. In just one year, $1,284,840 has been saved from 8,566 saved Clark County Detention Center bed days for 83 people.

Last year, Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez issued Administrative Order 17-05 that rolled-out a pilot project on July 1, 2017 to begin to examine the potential benefits of centralizing the management for homicide cases with the intent of improving efficiency in the management and timely disposition of such cases.

The Homicide Case Team was established consisting of four district judges including Judge Douglas Herndon, who also serves as the team’s case management judge, Judge Valerie Adair, Judge Jennifer Togliatti and Judge Eric Johnson. Judge Michelle Leavitt recently joined the Homicide Case Team and Judge Johnson resumed a civil/criminal caseload in July 2018. The team handles all of the homicide cases filed in Clark County. The intent is to improve the ability to schedule cases with viable dates for trials, and implement rigid case management protocols with the parties regularly reporting their progress in court. By limiting homicide cases to just four judicial departments, the courts have improved the ability to bring consistency to the handling of the homicide cases,  and enabled more realistic trial settings. The change also facilitates the ability of the judges to ensure that discovery obligations are met, and investigations and preparation for trial are done.

At a recent criminal judges meeting, Judge Michael Villani, who serves as the presiding criminal judge, recognized the homicide team of judges, the attorneys and the jail staff for the rigorous work they’ve done processing cases. In just over a year, they have accomplished a lot.

Detention Transition Services Coordinator Sandy Molina, with the Clark County Detention Center, gave a brief report on the major impact on closing cases the homicide team has had on the county and jails. She conveyed that after the July 1, 2017 kickoff, it took four to six months to fully ramp up. In just one year, $1,284,840 has been saved from 8,566 saved Clark County Detention Center bed days for 83 people.

These results are important because money and wasted resources are saved. The bed days saved also help to address the critical state of jail overcrowding and improve safety at the jail.

Most importantly, the families of homicide victims are seeing cases brought to resolution in a more timely fashion, allowing them to begin the process of moving on with their lives.

Part of the impetus for the pilot came from the Nevada Supreme Court Commission on Criminal Procedure, overseen by Justice Michael Cherry and Justice Michael Douglas. A subcommittee on Criminal Trial Practice for Life/ Death Penalty Cases offered input from the Clark County offices of the District Attorney, Public Defender, Special Public Defender, the Office of Indigent Counsel, and their counterparts in Northern Nevada.