tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26376354878268289932012-02-02T17:32:08.695-05:00The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-55194564492423048192012-02-02T17:10:00.005-05:002012-02-02T17:32:08.704-05:00

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Joan Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00050458079991224836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-10535539972833774262011-12-01T16:09:00.000-05:002011-12-01T16:09:03.122-05:00

CFCC’s Director is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University. Joe Paterno was her graduation speaker. That said, like the rest of the country, all of us at CFCC are horrified as we watch more and more shocking details come out in charges of sexual abuse committed by former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. It is perhaps just as disturbing that, if the allegations are true,

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-57401628144546616902011-11-02T16:12:00.001-04:002011-11-02T16:12:32.066-04:00

We recently posted on CFCC’s Facebook page about a Topeka, Kansas, City Council’s decision to decriminalize domestic violence under city law. Although the state of Kansas still has a domestic violence law on the books, police and prosecutors had stopped enforcing the law for budgetary reasons, except for felony domestic violence cases. In a Baltimore Sun op-ed on October 20th (also posted on

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-61748910108238332402011-10-25T11:42:00.000-04:002011-10-25T11:42:41.207-04:00

Last year, several high-profile bullying incidents led children to consider or commit suicide, including the Baltimore City girl who made the news after she tried to jump out of her elementary school window. Since then, there has been a major push to expose this serious issue, highlighted by a “Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week” in Maryland last May and the designation of October as

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-81105435169410091752011-10-10T12:08:00.000-04:002011-10-10T12:08:51.665-04:00

We recently posted on CFCC’s Facebook page a link to a Baltimore Sun front-page article about a new anti-truancy intervention in Baltimore City. Although the program itself is laudable and a wonderful complement to CFCC’s Truancy Court Program (TCP), operating in six Baltimore City Public Schools this year, what really caught our eye was the discussion in the Sun’s comments section. The

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-47613577978590660232011-09-01T11:36:00.001-04:002011-09-01T11:37:03.653-04:00

With the beginning of the school year, our attention turns to attendance, academic achievement, and graduation. All three are inextricably linked, and all three are the focus of the University of Baltimore School of Law Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) Truancy Court Program (TCP). As we gear up for the sixth year of the TCP’s operation, we are collaborating once again with

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-40525743499701750702011-07-28T16:08:00.000-04:002011-07-28T16:08:04.949-04:00

We at CFCC are shocked and disturbed to learn that the San Francisco Superior Courts are reduced to a shell of their current state as a result of major budget cuts. The system has laid off forty percent of its workers and plans to shut 25 courtrooms. According to a Courthouse News Service article, Presiding Judge Katherine Feinstein stated sadly: “We now know the trial courts are the lowest

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-39720162483572979962011-06-23T16:13:00.003-04:002011-06-24T09:05:11.441-04:00

Baltimore City District Court Judge Catherine Curran O’Malley, Maryland’s First Lady, hosted the fifth annual Truancy Court Program (TCP) Reception on Monday, June 6. We had a record-breaking number of attendees, with over 200 TCP graduates, family members, and supporters. TCP Graduates and Judges enjoy a celebratory dinner (Photo by A. Green) We are very grateful to Judge O’Malley, who has

Andrea Bentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906726775007377793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-35483613770497221672011-05-04T10:58:00.008-04:002011-06-23T16:16:34.300-04:00

Over two hundred people attended the University of Baltimore School of Law Center for Families, Children and the Courts’ 3rd annual Urban Child Symposium, and the day was a passionate and intensely informative exchange. The topic was “The Urban Child in the Child Welfare System: From Fracture to Fix”, with speakers including experts from the court system, the social services system, academia, and

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-64574744058015098652011-04-04T14:54:00.000-04:002011-04-04T14:54:46.785-04:00

We at CFCC are excited to announce that Thursday, April 7, we continue our tradition of hosting an annual "Urban Child Symposium," which brings together national experts on the cutting edge of the most pressing issues in the lives of children in urban environments. This year, we consider the plight of urban children in the child welfare system. The symposium's title, "The Urban Child in the Child

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-59704970657009113552011-03-08T10:54:00.005-05:002011-03-08T11:07:55.582-05:00

We at CFCC believe strongly in the importance of studying social issues, like truancy and dropout, to determine risk factors and address problems at their root causes, thereby preventing them from escalating and potentially destroying lives. In fact, one of the reasons for our starting the Truancy Court Program (TCP) is the research that shows that truancy is a predictor of a number of social

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-7479279804318650602011-02-23T12:48:00.000-05:002011-02-23T12:48:58.239-05:00

We at CFCC cannot believe that it has been ten years since CFCC’s launching, thereby implementing our vision to create a center to identify opportunities for family justice system reform. Beginning our work with a staff of three, we currently have a staff of eleven, including two senior fellows, six Truancy Court Program consultants, and more. Over the last ten years, we have been involved in a

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-45140914317044444632011-01-19T17:02:00.001-05:002011-02-22T16:15:47.471-05:00

The New York Times recently published an article about a new trend in family law: for-profit businesses that invest money to support one party’s legal case in a divorce proceeding and then are paid on a contingent basis from the party’s recovery in the case. I am disturbed by this new development, as it seems to skirt long-established ethical rules in family law practice. While some attorneys

Barbara Babbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09604258599322382501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-37009469288619916512010-12-02T17:01:00.000-05:002010-12-02T17:01:07.785-05:00

It is hard to believe it already has been almost six months since CFCC and the ABA Section of Family Law co-sponsored the Families Matter Symposium. We at CFCC are excited about the work that has been done since the symposium to expand the Families Matter initiative. Because of the partnerships that this initiative created – among CFCC, the ABA, the Association of Family and Conciliation

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-26744959461408957642010-11-10T07:52:00.000-05:002010-11-10T07:52:03.239-05:00

p.sdfootnote { margin-left: 0.2in; text-indent: -0.2in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-size: 10pt; }p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }a.sdfootnoteanc { font-size: 57%; } Attention actors, writers, stage managers, and directors. The Center for Families, Children and the Courts is proud to announce the première of the “Kids and Theater” project!! This project is part of

sbmuddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167485151191815857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-13336429115411302652010-11-02T23:05:00.002-04:002010-11-02T23:11:41.479-04:00

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation released a report entitled The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts in 2006. The report begins by stating There is a high school dropout epidemic in America. Each year, almost one third of all public high school students – and nearly one half of all blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans – fail to graduate from public high school with their

Kate Wolfsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702293173655850296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-54992163514856455232010-10-25T13:08:00.006-04:002010-10-26T14:48:57.691-04:00

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Jessica Weinbergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422982165156039567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-35307553051811444112010-10-19T12:30:00.000-04:002010-10-19T12:31:02.652-04:00

I am also a CFCC Student Fellow this fall participating in the Truancy Court Program at Violetville elementary/middle school. I agree with the previous blogger that it is important that we all work together to see that our students our successful. I wanted to focus my blog on ways community members can reach out to empower youth to be more proactive about their education, their school and

Cassie Sewardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-49640211582670365632010-10-12T11:25:00.000-04:002010-10-12T11:25:15.831-04:00

I have been a volunteer and student fellow in the CFCC’s Truancy Court Program for over the last year. From my tutoring in math to my observations as the student fellow, I have been introduced to a world I did not know and it is nothing like the one I grew up in. I never had to worry about my clothes being clean in the morning or if I would have breakfast. My homework was done after school and my

Seth R. Okinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941281319536694988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-81754254102681721782010-10-04T11:20:00.002-04:002010-10-07T22:18:37.319-04:00

I am a CFCC Student Fellow this fall, participating in the Truancy Court Program at a <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Baltimore City elementary/middle school. I returned to law school mid-life after working from home for my children’s younger years because I hoped to take my professional life into a new direction. I wanted to work with people,

vleneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589702417957316922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-84117852027811079052010-09-27T15:58:00.002-04:002010-09-27T16:02:40.926-04:00

By Lesley Kamenshine The ecology of human development that we have learned about in class is most exciting. The concept was first applied to the legal system – specifically family law - by Prof. Barbara Babb, Director of the Center for Family, Children and the Courts, in her groundbreaking blueprint for unified family courts.1 Developed by psychologist Dr. Urie Bronfenbrenner2 who founded

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-27553439689605919922010-09-21T21:48:00.002-04:002010-09-21T21:56:56.045-04:00

Like another CFCC Student Fellow, I also come to the CFCC Student Fellows Program with a perspective largely from law enforcement. The area of the law that has interested me the most has been criminal law (with family law a close second). Most of my internships/clerkships have been in the criminal area of the law. At first glance, it may seem as though the concepts of therapeutic

Andy Hovermannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-85200014691293358422010-09-07T18:45:00.049-04:002010-09-07T22:29:24.506-04:00

Therapeutic Justice (“TJ”), a novel concept to myself and probably most law students, is the brain child of Professors Bruce Winick and David Wexler that posits that, “other things being equal, positive therapeutic effects are desirable and should generally be a proper aim of law, and that antitherapeutic effects are undesirable and should be avoided or minimized.”1 Additionally, in describing

Judd Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15427451709475211487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-59493526383123732132010-09-04T17:14:00.002-04:002010-09-07T11:37:33.986-04:00

Hello CFCC Bloggers. I am currently a CFCC Fellow at UB School of Law. I was posed an intriguing question last week in class that I have been thinking about throughout the weekend. Last week’s class discussion was about Therapeutic Jurisprudence (TJ) and Preventive Law. At the end of class, I was asked my opinion on TJ. My answer was the following: I believe that TJ is a great concept that

meylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09677831138086436745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-65218352255299754162010-08-23T15:09:00.001-04:002010-09-07T11:37:42.348-04:00

Where has the summer gone? The law school semester has begun! We at CFCC are looking forward to another great year; we take utmost pride in teaching the next generation of lawyers about family law and our major tenets, therapeutic jurisprudence and the ecology of human development. We also ensure that our students personally engage with the things they learn in the classroom through their

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-62488579233906795012010-07-26T14:22:00.002-04:002010-07-26T14:24:07.784-04:00

My name is Anthony Green and I am a mentor - I teach character-building classes for the University of Baltimore School of Law Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) Truancy Court Program (TCP). Dr. Andres Alonso, Superintendent of Baltimore City Schools, was recently quoted in the Baltimore Sun, emphasizing the importance of attendance if we want our children to achieve academically.

Anthony "Bubba" Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04090095755546649226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-32872534764030094242010-06-30T16:55:00.001-04:002010-08-26T14:23:12.784-04:00

The invitation-only “Families Matter” Symposium was held last Thursday and Friday, June 24 and 25, at the University of Baltimore.  Co-sponsored by CFCC and the American Bar Association Section of Family Law, the symposium promises to be a powerful catalyst for change.  It was exhiliarating to participate in the exchange of groundbreaking ideas that emerge when you put together some of the

Barbara Babbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09604258599322382501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-6356276399877694492010-06-09T13:58:00.000-04:002010-06-09T13:58:21.683-04:00

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 fact. We at CFCC applaud their recent

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-17773960690441093112010-05-17T13:25:00.001-04:002010-05-24T12:49:22.019-04:00

The local news has focused on bullying after a young girl reportedly attempted suicide in a Baltimore City School as a result of this torment. Even Dr. Alonso, the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, has written an op-ed in the Baltimore Sun weighing in on the topic. It is a subject with which we at CFCC are all too familiar, as it often is identified as a cause of truancy for a number of

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-70007738493876938362010-05-04T17:07:00.001-04:002010-05-05T12:12:27.737-04:00

In the face of the daily barrage of news about celebrity divorces, bitter custody battles, and the fortunes that must be divided, we at the Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) are reminded of the millions of people who face an adversarial and divisive family law system during the most difficult periods of their lives. In an unprecedented collaboration, the American Bar Association

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-35732858254804706942010-04-06T12:25:00.110-04:002010-05-11T10:44:59.430-04:00

Obesity in the United States has not always been at the levels we see currently. Whenever I return from an international flight, even at the airport I sense that I have returned to the land of the big. And nowhere is this more glaring than with our children. Beginning in approximately the mid-1980s, the levels of obesity and excess weight in the US has been a monotonically increasing function

Ecrivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380226223242036094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-5022566609582293482010-04-06T12:11:00.002-04:002010-04-06T12:12:58.048-04:00

CFCC’s second Urban Child Symposium, “Health and the Urban Child:  Diagnosing Problems and Prescribing Solutions,” was held last Thursday, April 1, and drew a crowd of approximately two hundred people.  A wide array of people from all professions and walks of life, including doctors, lawyers, judges, activists, academics, mental health professionals, services providers, parents, and other

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-11457849424787242072010-03-24T13:25:00.004-04:002010-05-11T10:45:29.394-04:00

The new health care reform legislation, signed into law by President Obama yesterday, is sure to be discussed at next Thursday’s Urban Child Symposium; in the meantime, here’s a short overview of the law’s major effects on children and families: *Insurance companies will be prohibited from denying health coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. For example, children suffering from

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-47283016046044481462010-03-10T14:58:00.003-05:002010-03-10T15:01:08.514-05:00

House Speaker Michael Busch recently has proposed legislation to combat gang presence in Maryland schools. The bill intends to use federal funds to provide schools in all Maryland counties with gang prevention programs and to increase information-sharing between the courts and schools, allowing schools to identify better youth at risk of recruitment or involvement with gangs. Under the bill,

Barbara Babbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09604258599322382501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-65249642100262192802010-03-03T14:21:00.006-05:002010-03-08T12:28:07.872-05:00

The legislative session is in full swing, and the CFCC is weighing in on two bills. SB239/HB723 would raise the age of compulsory attendance in Maryland schools from 16 to 18. In an era when education is increasingly important to prepare children for their futures, this measure sends the right message, and is the right complement to our anti-truancy efforts. CFCC also has submitted testimony

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-24924494926134333782010-03-02T14:16:00.009-05:002010-03-08T10:23:11.957-05:00

With child health issues in the news so much lately, we thought we'd use our first substantive post to discuss CFCC’s work with urban child health. CFCC’s annual Urban Child Symposium this year is entitled  Health and the Urban Child: Diagnosing Problems and Prescribing Solutions. It takes place at the University of Baltimore School of Law on April 1st. We have an impressive roster of experts,

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637635487826828993.post-55531826528374782872010-02-05T16:24:00.005-05:002010-03-24T16:04:37.516-04:00

Welcome to the University of Baltimore Center for Families, Children and the Courts blog! We are excited to introduce this forum for the exchange of ideas, discussion, and news about CFCC. Check back often for up-to-date information regarding CFCC’s activities, including Unified Family Courts (UFCs), the Truancy Court Program , the Urban Child Symposium and other conferences and symposia. We

The Center for Families, Children, and the Courtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00353897527862340230noreply@blogger.com0