National Drug Court Online Learning System

The Center for Court Innovation has announced the availability of new training resources on the National Drug Court Online Learning System:

In partnership with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Center has developed a series of interviews with juvenile drug court practitioners that focus on their roles within a juvenile drug court team. These interviews are particularly relevant for new practitioners and cover the following roles:

• Judge
• Prosecutor
• Public Defender
• Probation Officer
• Program Coordinator
• Treatment Provider
• Educational Liaison

The Center has also developed new expert presentations for adult drug courts, including lessons on:

• Role of the Prosecutor
• Role of the Public Defender
• Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Drug Court

Find the new material, as well as other valuable training resources, at drugcourtonline.org.

Webinar: "Pot, Parenting, and Government Intervention"

For those of you who might be interested, there is a webinar available through the ABA called "Pot, Parenting, and Government Intervention."  The webinar was originally held on May 18, 2015, but you can download and listen HERE.

The following is a summary description of the broadcast:

This webinar was offered on May 18, 2015. While marijuana cultivation, sale, and use remains illegal under federal law, there seems to be forward momentum to de-criminalize marijuana in a number of states (from de-criminalization down to parking violation level offenses, to legalized medical or even recreational use), the experience of front-line lawyers and advocates for children and parents involved in the child welfare system suggests that for the populations they serve (poor and disproportionately of color), marijuana use by parents still triggers drastic government intervention, including the removal of children and even the possible termination of parental rights. Why has a seeming broader tolerance for marijuana not translated to these systems? What are the equal justice issues involved? Is this reflective of the "criminalization of poverty"? What are the social and economic costs? The panelists for this webinar address these questions as well as many of the practical issues regarding marijuana and the child welfare system, both in states that have de-criminalized marijuana and in states where it is still illegal.