The goal of Juvenile Court is to rehabilitate and support delinquent children under the age of 18, making it a cornerstone of our community. A great deal of attention is paid to “delinquency,” or criminal cases we hear in Juvenile Court.
Unless you are personally involved in the system few people realize that Juvenile Court also hears family matters involving children and their parents; including custody, support, visitation, and cases involving adults accused of child abuse or neglect. These cases make up the “dependency” side of the Court and they are critical to the future wellbeing of our children and our community.
In 1993, Hamilton County Juvenile Court was designated the first demonstration site for the Victims Act Model Court Project. Initiated by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), the goal of the Victims Act Model Court Project was to improve the way courts respond to and process child abuse and neglect cases to better serve children and families.
The practices and procedures developed and used in Hamilton County became a model for best practices dependency law. Court administrators from all over the country visited and studied Hamilton County Juvenile Court.
Juvenile Court works with Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services (JFS), represented by the Prosecutor’s office, as well as the Hamilton County Public Defender’s office Guardian ad litem (GAL) division, and ProKids to protect children who are abused, neglected, or dependent. We work collaboratively with families to remedy the issues that place children in harmful situations.
Stabilizing families and young children who are dealing with dependency issues reduces the risk factors that lead children to future involvement with the Court for delinquency issues, and ultimately contact with the adult criminal justice system.
Children who are involved in both the dependency and delinquency side of the Court are labeled “crossover youth.” Research shows juveniles who are victims of abuse and/or neglect are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior that leads to an arrest than children who have had no previous contact with the system. (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection, 2021).
Dependency Court has the ability to change the trajectory of a child’s life, directly impacting their future success and safety of our community.
Work in this area of law has an unusual dynamic. When a complaint is filed and the case begins the process is often adversarial as the parent challenges the allegations. But after an adjudication of abuse, neglect, or dependency and disposition is granted, case management services are put in place for the parties to work toward a permanent plan for the family. The preferred goal is to reunite the children with their family by addressing and resolving the issues that brought the family to Juvenile Court. This common goal changes the dynamics between the parties. The attorney for the parents zealously advocates for them to take advantage of the opportunity to participate in services to keep the family together, and a GAL or Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) are engaged to ensure the best interest of the child.
Representation for parents is an essential component of the process. Parents are often represented by an attorney who is part of the “dependency panel” through the Hamilton County Public Defender’s office, managed through the GAL division.
Statutory guidelines establish time limitations for dependency cases. Currently, there is a shortage of dependency panel attorneys, which slows down a family’s ability to move forward. Applications for the panel are always open and we are actively looking for more attorneys to join the panel. Visit the Hamilton County Public Defender’s website (www.hamiltoncountypd.org) to fill out an application.
Work in this area is vital to our community. Successful completion of dependency cases builds stronger families, which provides stability for our children. Happy and resilient children will shape the future of our community.
Washington is the Chief Magistrate for the Hamilton County Juvenile Court and an adjunct professor for the University of Cincinnati College of Law. She received her law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.