April 2020 Newsletter
Editor's Note
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic unfolds across the United States, the disruptions linked to the public health crisis are impacting our courts. Courts are wrestling with meeting social distancing mandates and state stay-at-home orders while maintaining operation of the court system, continuing to provide access to justice, and upholding constitutional rights.  

The crisis is challenging court staff to be more agile and respond quickly. Courts are adjusting and implementing innovative solutions including restricting entrance into court or limiting courthouse activities; suspending or limiting in-person hearings/in-court proceedings; conducting virtual hearings via video conferencing; suspending timeframes for motions and grand juries; temporarily suspending the collection of fines and fees; virtual supervision; and safely reducing jail populations. In treatment courts, staff are relying on tele-health and online meetings to support clients.

April is also Second Chance Month, a time to raise awareness about formerly incarcerated persons. Our team is posting news and resources on Twitter and Facebook so check out the article below to learn more. We also provided a roundup of news and resources at the end of this newsletter about how states and courts are handling the coronavirus. These are extraordinary times, stay safe and healthy.
Leola Abraham, Associate Director of Communications, JPO 
Everyone Deserves a Second Chance
April is Second Chance Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction.

This Second Chance month, follow JPO and the Right to Counsel National Campaign on Twitter and Facebook using the #SecondChanceMonth hashtag for news and information to benefit returning citizens along with specifics related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

In the next few months, thousands of formerly incarcerated persons, who have paid their debt to society, will be returning to families and communities amid the coronavirus pandemic. Those returning to communities, especially during this uncertain time, will need resources and access to information. Follow @AU_JPO and @right2counsel
Legal Aid Article Focuses on Families, Poverty, & the Child Welfare System
Our Justice in Government project team, Karlee M. Naylon and Karen A. Lash , published an article in the Spring 2020 edition of The Guardian , a quarterly law journal published by the National Association of Counsel for Children. The article, Using Legal Aid to Keep Families Together and Prevent Child Welfare Involvement (p.15), discusses how legal aid can help prevent families' legal issues from escalating into what the child welfare system would deem as 'neglect' and grounds for a child's removal from the home. It also discusses federal funding opportunities for legal aid that states can tap to support prevention efforts, including HHS's Title IV-E. 

The article has been adapted for publication in the forthcoming April 2020 edition of Children's Bureau Express , the US Department of Health and Human Services Children's Bureau newsletter. See p.13: Tips for Talking with Children about COVID-19 .
Human Trafficking Survivors Webinar Available
Our Maximizing OVC’s Survivor Assistance in Court Settings ( MOSAICS ) team hosted Criminal Courts and Service Providers: Building Relationships to Serve Survivors of Human Trafficking, a webinar focused on cross-system partnerships between legal system actors and social service providers to better meet the needs of human trafficking survivors facing criminal charges. View the webinar here.
 
Mónica Arenas, Marissa MacTurk, and Judge John J. Romero, Jr. shared lessons learned with more than 100 participants, drawing from their professional experiences working within court-community partnerships and collaborative multidisciplinary task forces.
 
“Building a relationship between a court and a social service organization is usually not a seamless or organic process, and it is often quite challenging. Building this type of relationship involves very intentional trust building and thoughtful conversations about roles and responsibilities,” said Zoë Root, MOSAICS Lead Attorney.
Events and Resources
Veterans Event Postponed
The Moral Wounds of War and PTSD: A Live Panel Discussion event scheduled for Wednesday, May 20 at American University is postponed until September. With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic taking shape in the US, we are taking direction from local authorities on minimizing in-person contact and have decided to postpone the event. However, highlighting the efforts in the criminal justice system to meet the needs of justice-involved veterans remains an important issue. New date coming soon!

NACDL Coronavirus Resources
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) set up a Coronavirus Resources webpage for the criminal justice community. Check it for public defense advocacy letters, motions, and more.

NADCP COVID-19 Webinar Series and Resources
National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) is hosting a webinar series with the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and State Justice Institute (SJI) to address the COVID-19 pandemic and provide guidance and resources for treatment court professionals. Check NADCP's COVID-19 resources webpage for resources and to watch the webinars .

NCSC Visualizations of COVID Response by State
National Center for State Courts (NCSC) visualization webpage has links to state court COVID-19 websites and provides data on the different steps states are taking during the pandemic.
News, Legislation, Policy
For those involved in drug courts, there are often requirements to complete intensive drug treatment alongside check-ins and testing. This story in The Appeal speaks to how the pandemic complicates meeting various court-mandated requirements. 

The federal relief package allocated $4.5 million for mental health and drug treatment programs for criminal defendants on probation or pretrial services . Treatment courts around the country are modifying their operations or closing their doors and transitioning online. Here’s some of what is being done, from around the country:

Colorado
As the court system in El Paso, Colorado closed except to matters of “immediate public concern,” problem-solving courts, including veterans trauma and mental health courts, are suspended. (Benzell, The Gazette , March 30, 2020)

Hawaii
In West Hawaii: All treatment courts, including Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court, are postponed until after April 30 , as are all HOPE Probation hearings, with the exception of those deemed to be essential by the presiding judge. (Burnett, Hawaii Tribune-Herald , March 21, 2020)
 
Indiana
Drug Treatment Court, Reentry Court, Mental Health Court and Veterans Court are still operating in limited capacity in Monroe County as it only continues services required by law or deemed an emergency. (Hardgrave, Indiana Daily Student , April 2, 2020)

Louisiana
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana the jail population has reached its lowest point this decade as officials across the local criminal justice system work to minimize the impacts of the spreading coronavirus . Local law enforcement agencies are making fewer arrests, focusing on serious and violent charges. Prosecutors and public defenders are working with judges to release some inmates who can't afford bond. The parish district attorney and public defender are working together to identify defendants who can be released pretrial and cases that can be resolved quickly. (Skene, The Advocate , March 23, 2020)

Michigan
The 19th District Court in Michigan is suspending in-person meetings for treatment court proceedings, but has not provided information on what will be done instead, saying that the court system will notify individuals accordingly. (Press Release Desk, Patch , March 25, 2020)

New Hampshire
The structure is the same, but physically going to court, hearings, or meetings has stopped. New Hampshire drug courts move to remote treatment, group meetings during coronavirus outbreak , relying on technology. One bright spot: barriers to transportation for participants are nonexistent. (Dandrea, Concord Monitor, April 5, 2020)

New Jersey
A letter from New Jersey's Public Defender's Office prompted New Jersey Chief Justice Stuart Rabner to issue an order suspending or commuting county jail sentences for those incarcerated that are considered low-risk. Up to 1,000 individuals could be released from county jail . The letter urged him to take measures to mitigate the "inevitable" spread of the virus in county jails. (Leins, US News , March 24, 2020)

New York
As state courts around the country close doors and release individuals, the New York state legislature passed a rollback of its landmark bail reform law . It barred New York judges from setting cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, a move that could potentially land more people in jails and put them at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 . (Covert, The Appeal , April 6, 2020)

Oklahoma
In the Washita-Custer County court, drug testing is continuing, and court participants will keep doing coursework for the program at home . But for some participants, as anxiety grows from instability during the pandemic and lack of traditional structure from the courts, they are realizing just how key human connections are to making drug programs work. (Chandler, StateImpact Oklahoma , April 2, 2020)

Oregon
This Oregon addiction recovery center closed its doors two weeks ago and moved online. (Schreiber, KATU 2 , March 30, 2020)

Tennessee
Carbon County, Tennessee canceled all veterans treatment and drug treatment courts status conferences. (Miller, TNOnline , March 19, 2020)

Nashville, Tennessee, Davidson County identified more than 300 people to be considered for early release, including pregnant women, people over the age of 60, and more than 250 people who are set to be released within a year. Twenty-five people were approved for release to probation and up to 50 more were expected to be approved. The jail population dropped from 1,241 to 1,135 between March 14 and March 24 in an effort to contain a coronavirus outbreak. (Tamburin, Nashville Tennessean , March 24)

Utah
Diversion in Bear River, Utah is using facetime for meetings and hearings, and continuing drug tests with modification that maintains social distancing. (Staff writer, HJ News , March 23, 2020)

Virginia
This Alexandria, Virginia Treatment Court moved services entirely online , worrying about efficacy as this hinders structure and accountability. (Cullum, ALX Now , March 24, 2020)

Wisconsin
As Milwaukee County Circuit Court consolidates its hearing to three courts , treatment programs will be holding all typically in-person meetings via telephone instead. (Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , March 24, 2020)