This year’s winner is the court reporter Jessica Patterson from Criminal Court 8. Presiding Judge Amy Jones, who nominated Patterson, had this to say about her court reporter: “I was very fortunate as a new judge to have someone with Jess’s level of experience come to my court…Jess is truly a backbone of the court office and is always available to discuss issues and help solve problems with attorneys.”

This article discusses competency along with other ways to stabilize a client with a mental illness such ensuring effective communication, providing access to appropriate mental health medications and requesting an immediate detention. It also outlines the differences between an Immediate Detention and an Emergency Detention as well as the differences between a Temporary Commitment and a Regular Commitment.

Until recently, conventional wisdom among prosecutors dictated that long prison terms were vital to public safety. They took seriously the direction “to charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offenses,” and measured success in terms of trial wins and convictions. Conventional wisdom, however, is changing from this purely punitive model as prosecutors are now beginning to recognize the great price we pay — both the dollar and human cost — for mass incarceration in America.

Each year, the Criminal Justice Section presents the Gil Berry to a deserving member of our legal community.  We do our best to turn the spotlight on one of the many non-attorney professionals who are an essential part of our profession each day.  It is easy to forget the countless hardworking people who make our jobs easier and keep the wheels of justice turning.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up to be a volunteer judge for Teen Court. To be honest, I only had a vague idea of what it was even about. Turns out, Teen Court is about teens who have engaged in illegal activities or activities against school policies, have accepted responsibility for their behavior and have agreed to be heard by their peers, who decide what the consequences of the behavior should be.

The collateral consequences that come with a conviction can have far-reaching effects long after the sentence has been served, sometimes unrelated to the crime itself. These “invisible punishments” can affect a person’s housing, employment, visitation and child custody, educational path, social integration and ultimately, increase their chance of recidivism.

The Criminal Justice Section is now accepting applications for the annual Gil I. Berry Award, which is presented each year to an individual within the Indy criminal court community. Winners are selected after nomination alone with a focus on recognizing the “unsung” individuals who work in the criminal court system.

Kids make stupid mistakes – it is a part of growing up. But what happens when the law gets involved? Does it serve our community to punish children in a similar way we do adults?

The goal of the program is to assist individuals in the community with expungement-related questions and to help get their driver's licenses back.

Technology is expanding, evolving, and improving at an explosive rate. Society, including law enforcement, is struggling to keep pace with these seemingly daily developments. This paper addresses facial recognition technology used by law enforcement to enhance surveillance capabilities and the associated legal issues it raises.