By David Sexton, Intern | Office of Communications, Education, and Outreach In Webb v. Baird, 6 Ind.13 (1854), over a century prior to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963), the Indiana Supreme Court recognized the right to counsel of all persons facing incarceration who could not afford an […]
Articles
The State of the Child
By Julie L. Whitman, MSW, Executive Director | Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana The Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana hosted the Indiana Youth Institute’s “State of the Child” presentation at the State House on February 25. The State of the Child has become an annual event to launch […]
The Indiana JDAI Implicit Bias Training Institute: Building Capacity for an Equitable Youth Justice System
By Nancy Wever, Director | Indiana Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative AND Tashi Teuschler, Assistant Director | Indiana Juvenile Detention Alternatives The Indiana Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Implicit Bias Training Institute is a four-part, capacity-building workshop to strengthen one’s understanding of implicit bias and how biases impact our daily decisions. The rigorous curriculum equips participants with skills […]
Race & Equity in the Judicial, Legislative, and Executive Branches
By Honorable Heather Welch, Presiding Judge | Marion Superior Court Indianapolis City-County Council President Vop Osili conducted an organizational meeting in Indianapolis on December 11, 2019, to address the issue of race and equity in the Judicial, Legislative, and Executive Branches of local government. More than one hundred county-wide elected officials from each branch, leaders from […]
State of the Judiciary 2020
Speech edited for length and introduction by James F. Maguire. On January 15, 2020, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush delivered her sixth address on the State of the Judiciary to a joint session of the Indiana General Assembly. The Supreme Court justices and judges of the Court of Appeals were greeted by members of […]
Turn of the Century
James F. Maguire, Staff Attorney | Office of Court Services The Judiciary in 2020 As we take measure of where we are and where we are going, it’s good to see where we’ve been and how much has been accomplished. Twenty years ago, Chief Justice Randall Shepard highlighted in the State of the Judiciary areas where […]
Forward Momentum
Lindsey Borschel, Creative Services Manager Office of Communication, Education & Outreach Technology in Indiana Courts 2000 – 2020 Twenty years ago, when someone would ask how to get information in their case, there would be at least 92 different possible answers, the majority of which did not involve online access. Today, most of Indiana can search […]
Ready for Liftoff
Robert Rath, Chief Innovation Officer | Office of Judicial Administration The Indiana Supreme Court launched a statewide innovation program in November to explore ways to make Indiana’s system of justice more efficient, less expensive, and easier to navigate while continuing to ensure that justice is fairly administered and the rights of all litigants are protected. […]
Family-Focused Intervention
Chris Biehn, Program Coordinator | Office of Court Services Substance use and addiction are frequently associated with parental neglect and abuse of children. In 2017, over 55 percent of all child removals in Indiana resulted from parental substance use, a figure well above the national average of 36¹ percent. Complicating matters, parents battling substance use […]
Jail Overcrowding: Complex Issue Requires Collaborative Response
Michelle Goodman, Staff Attorney | Office of Court Services Jail overcrowding is not a new concern, yet the degree to which multiple factors impact jail populations is very different. Many counties are actively working to address jail overcrowding while other counties that are not overcrowded are experiencing other challenges. Why are counties having such different […]
