The Akron Legal News

Ohio juvenile courts get tech grants

ANNIE YAMSON
Special to the Legal News
Published: September 27, 2016

Thirteen Ohio juvenile courts have been awarded technology grants by the state’s high court.

The funds, which will go to support local projects, were distributed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Court Improvement Program.

According to Court News Ohio, the money will “help remove barriers” and “provide a more efficient and effective administration of justice” for children and families involved in the child welfare system.

The American Bar Association’s Center on Children and the Law reports that all 50 states participate in the federal Court Improvement Program administered by the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“The grant program was established in 1994 as a response to the dramatic increase in child abuse and neglect cases and the expanded role of courts in achieving stable, permanent homes for children in foster care,” according to the ABA.

This is only the second year that the Ohio Supreme Court has offered the technology grants. Recipients include the Ashtabula, Coshocton, Greene, Madison, Richland and Scioto county courts.

Projects include the purchase of video conference and courtroom recording equipment and software to enhance data collection and reports on youth served by courts.

The Greene County Juvenile Court said that it plans to use its grant funds to purchase computers and printers for courtrooms that hear abuse, neglect and dependency cases in order to complete entries and provide notice for future hearings prior to parties leaving the courtroom, according to the high court’s news service.

Greene County Juvenile Court Judge Adolfo Tornichio told CNO that “parties in children services matters can sometimes be confused or unable to remember what orders were imposed upon them in court due to the stress of the proceedings or the complexity of the case.”

The new computers and printers will allow the parties in a juvenile case to leave the court with a document in hand explaining what happened and what the next steps are.

The Huron County Probate and Juvenile Court also received grant money which it intends to use for software that will streamline access to court documents by children’s services agencies.

The Children’s Bureau reports that other typical activities include the development of mediation programs, joint agency-court training, automated docketing and case tracking, linked agency-court data system, formalized relationships with child welfare agencies and improvements to the representation of children and families.

Though it was initially funded under separate legislation, the Children’s Bureau’s website states that the Court Improvement Program authority has been transferred to a section of the Social Security Act.

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