What can mainstream courts learn from aboriginal sentencing courts…

Guest blogger Jordan Tutton writes... In early 2016, a young Indigenous Australian man robbed a liquor store in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. He pleaded guilty and asked to be sentenced in a specialist criminal court established to sentence Indigenous Australians. That Court was convened in September 2016 around a comically long Bar … Continue reading What can mainstream courts learn from aboriginal sentencing courts…

Creating a Re-Entry Court by wagging the probation tail

Guest bloggers Professor David B. Wexler &  Judge Michael D. Jones  (Retired) talk about how to improve people's chances of successful transition from prison to community through a therapeutic application of existing law... A recent Mainstream TJ blog explored the "exportable elements" of the Louisiana Reentry Court spearheaded by Judge William (“Rusty”) Knight that could be explored in … Continue reading Creating a Re-Entry Court by wagging the probation tail

Key elements of a re-entry court for people transitioning from prison to community

Guest bloggers Judge William Knight, Caroline Cooper and David Wexler describe the Louisiana Reentry Court and identify features that may be exportable into other jurisdictions... Under the leadership of Judge William Knight, Louisiana’s 22nd Judicial District (St. Tammany and Washington Parishes) launched a Reentry Court for “high risk/high needs” offenders with multiple prior felony convictions … Continue reading Key elements of a re-entry court for people transitioning from prison to community

A judicial officer assists offenders to set rehabilitation goals & strategies (TJ Court Craft Series #8)

The TJ Court Craft Series provides practical insights and tools for judges interested in therapeutic jurisprudence, problem solving or solution-focused approaches.  Read other blog posts in the Court Craft Series here. In this post Michael King, a judicial officer in Victoria Australia and author of the Solution-Focused Bench Book,  shares a tool he uses in court … Continue reading A judicial officer assists offenders to set rehabilitation goals & strategies (TJ Court Craft Series #8)

Enhancing Judicial Communication (TJ Court Craft Series #2)

  The TJ Court Craft Series provides practical insights and tools for judges interested in therapeutic jurisprudence, problem solving or solution-focused approaches.  For other posts in the series click here.  Factors affecting court communication “The judicial officer’s attitude towards the participant and the participant’s cultural background, prior contact with court, experience of court, cognitive skills and … Continue reading Enhancing Judicial Communication (TJ Court Craft Series #2)