June 27-28, 2011
Lost Pines, Texas
The Family Violence Conference has always been one of our most popular conferences and this year did not disappoint. One hundred and seventy-three judges from throughout Texas attended the program. The curriculum is designed to assist judges in meeting the requirements of §22.110 and bring them up-to-date in laws and trends relating to family violence cases.
The conference opened with a dueling look at the Top Ten Things a Judge Should Know in a family violence case from both the prosecutorial and defense attorney’s perspective. Many of the judges enjoyed hearing the different points of view on the over-arching topics. In the afternoon part of the program, judges enjoyed listening to “The Psychology of an Offender,” presented by Hon. Mike Denton. Most found this especially interesting because it included watching a clip of Jennifer Lopez in the movie “Enough.”
We were very fortunate to have the conference at Lost Pines this year. Next year the Family Violence Conference will be back at the Tremont House in Galveston. Attendance is limited at this location so make sure you register early!
June 29, 2011
Lost Pines, Texas
In conjunction with the Family Violence Conference, the Texas Center offered a human trafficking program designed to educate judges on the nature of the offense, new legislation, and unique trial issues that will arise in such cases. It was one of the first programs in Texas designed specifically for judges on this topic. The most outstanding aspect of the program was the exceptional faculty which consisted of both local and national human trafficking experts. Each of them has come face to face with realities of human trafficking and are fighting to raise awareness of the problem in states and local communities. Here are just a few pieces of the information they shared with judges:
If you are interested in learning more about human trafficking and how it is affecting Texas, please contact Courtney Gabriele, Program Attorney, at courtneyg@yourhonor.com or (512) 482-8986. She will provide you with a copy of the materials from the program.
August 24-26, 2011
Barton Creek Resort and Spa-Austin, Texas
Beyond the Bench encourages participants to find opportunities for collaboration and coordination in order to build and strengthen services to children, youth and families impacted by the child welfare system. A fundamental tenet for this conference is the belief that judges must take an active leadership role in improving court processes in child protection cases. With their guidance and authority, judges have the greatest ability to improve the lives of children through systems change and procedural improvements within their courts. By creating an open conversation with local stakeholders, judicially-led teams can discuss current processes, identify common concerns and explore innovative, coordinated solutions.
Beyond the Bench utilizes a unique format to promote and enhance dialogue among key stakeholders in the Texas child welfare. Beyond the Bench utilizes a moderator, an “expert” faculty panel, and a video case study approach to introduce the issues for discussion. The case study format helps to fully explore all issues that arise when a family encounters the child welfare system. The panel of experts sets the stage for a lively discussion of the intersections of the various organizations and agencies within a particular scenario. Facilitators then guide each local interdisciplinary team to promote cross-system dialogue and solution building.
The most recent Beyond the Bench was held August 24-26, 2011 at Barton Creek Resort and Spa in Austin. In the opening session, the program moderator, Hon. F. Scott McCown, introduced panelists and team members to the Martinez family, a fictitious family who had just come to the attention of law enforcement due to a report of family violence. Throughout the 2.5 day program, participants followed the Martinez family as they became increasingly entrenched in the child welfare system. Judge McCown’s thoughtful and often provocative engagement with participants stimulated meaningful conversation and new insights into how the child welfare system is serving children and families. Judge McCown’s quick wit and sharp humor kept participants on their toes and fully engaged in the discussion. This program owes much of its success to the tireless dedication and skill of Judge McCown.
Participating teams were led by Hon. Karin Bonicoro, Hon. Darlene Byrne, Hon. Gary Coley, Hon. Rob Hofmann, and Hon. Cathy Morris. At the end of the conference, the judges reported back ideas that their teams would take back and implement in their jurisdictions. While teams generated strategies tailored to the specific issues and circumstances experienced in their jurisdiction, some common themes emerged. Teams shared strategies to empower families as soon as they come into to contact with child protective services. Recommendations for immediate implementation included increasing the use of Family Team Meetings and using this forum to set clear expectations about the process and what parents will have to do in order to be successful, front-loading parent services, and increasing visitation opportunities when appropriate. Longer term strategies involved exploring ways to build trust and to change parents’ and the broader community’s perception of CPS.
Every team also expressed a commitment to the continuing the conversation after the conference. For teams newer to collaboration, Beyond the Bench provided their first opportunity to sit down and brainstorm with the representatives on their team. These teams left the conference with plans to bring their teams back together on a quarterly basis. Other teams already routinely engaged in collaborative meetings also expressed their desire to incorporate aspects of the Beyond the Bench program into their current collaborations. For example, one team is planning to hold a “mini” Beyond the Bench using an actual case from their jurisdiction to continue to identify areas in need of improvement.
July 11-13, 2011
the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center
This July the Texas Center’s Traffic Safety Grant Program hosted its DWI College for Trial Judges, July 11-13, at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center. Judge Mark Atkinson, Judicial Resource Liaison, and Ms. Rebecca Pitts, former TxDOT Program Director, worked with Judge David Hodges, Judicial Projects Director, Ms. Leah Magnus, Judicial Education Program Manager, and Ms. Michele Ewerz, Judicial Education Project Coordinator, from the Texas Association of Counties, to educate both County Court at Law and Constitutional County Judges on the latest impaired driving law and information. Highlights included a round of Judicial Jeopardy and a DWI mock trial that will be available for viewing on the DWI Website in November.
The end of August also provided education and training to the judges of Texas DWI Courts and their team members with two different conferences. The 2011 DWI Court Judges Conference: Legal and Ethical Issues in Conducting DWI Courts, was held immediately prior to the 2011 DWI College for DWI Court Teams and Student Conduct Officers. Judge Mark Atkinson, and Texas Traffic Safety Grant Program Director, Holly Doran, organized the DWI Court Judges Conference in an effort to revisit the practices and protocols of all of the state’s DWI Courts. The 18 attending judges were surveyed, in advance of the session, regarding the practices of their courts in a variety of aspects. The meeting was led by Judge Atkinson and featured several speakers, including two representatives of the Governor’s Criminal Justice division, regarding the recently enacted Specialty Courts Council. The judges were advised that their input would be valuable to the Council, whose members will be appointed by the Governor. The purpose of the Council will be to determine which applications for grant funds, relative to local specialty courts, should be approved or denied. Also attending and observing the meeting of the DWI Court Judges, was Assistant Attorney General David A. Harris. Mr. Harris has had the duty of representing judges, and other state agencies, in lawsuits. He was allowed to hear the discussion of the various practices of the DWI Court judges, after which he gave guidance and feedback to the judges regarding those practices.
The DWI College for Court Team Members and Student Conduct Officers offered twelve hours of continuing education to almost 100 DWI Court team members, which included judges, attorneys, probation personnel, treatment providers, law enforcement personnel, data evaluators and student conduct officers. Conference topics included motivational interviewing, incentives and sanctions, and an introduction to addiction and pharmacology.
September 18-21, 2011
Dallas Texas
In September, the 2011 Annual Judicial Education Conference was held in Dallas. Attendance was 546 judges from all around the State of Texas including 55 appellate justices and judges. Also attending their first annual conference were many members of one of the largest classes of the Texas College of New Judges.
On Sunday, the Pre-Judicial Conference Golf tournament was held at Cowboys Golf Course in Grapevine, the only NFL themed golf course in the world. Congratulations to all of the participants. Later that day, our opening reception was graciously funded and hosted by the Dallas Bar Association at the magnificent Belo Mansion.
The Silent Auction was again organized by the Texas Court Reporters Association. They have sponsored the silent auction for many years, always offering an excellent varied array of items. Their contributions to the Texas Center for the Judiciary and our education funding have, as an understatement, been considerable.
The educational programs offered something for almost every judge. As we know, Texas judges vary widely in the types of cases which pass through their courts. The curriculum committee and the Texas Center staff attempt to work within the parameters of the requirements of the annual conference to present programs of interest to all of the judges who attend. The first day of the annual conference is sponsored by a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation and the programs funded by that grant attempt to appeal to a broad spectrum of our judges. Later in the conference programs are presented which are directed at the types of cases that some but not all of our judges hear in their courts – criminal, civil, family, juvenile and probate.
Again this year, a big thank you to the staff of the Texas Center for the Judiciary for their organization and operation of the annual conference. If you had a good time, if you learned anything of value at the conference, or if you had such a good time that you don’t remember the conference, let our executive director, Randy Sarosdy, or any member of the staff of the Texas Center know that you appreciate the job that they did at the annual conference and that they do at every conference they organize for us.
