Last week, I was lucky enough to observe the Federal Judicial Center’s Quality Improvement program in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Northern District of California hosted this event last year and has participated twice in my time with the court. The program helps collaborative court staff members set goals and work with experts to strategize and improve over the course of a year with regular meetings, workshops, and reflection. When we participated, we worked on issues such as identifying the appropriate population for our collaborative courts, implementing an incentive/sanction list, and role clarification. We also learned how to adapt to problems and understand identifying treatment qualities that would be serve our population.
The District of Utah RISE (Reentry Independence through Sustainable Efforts) is a mental health reentry court that I had heard about for years. Working with a population that consists of severe mental health issues can be extremely challenging for court staff. The judge was incredible in actively listening to clients programs and showing a great level of compassion and empathy through small actions. She met each participant at the courtroom door upon arrival and patiently worked with clients as they checked in with her. This can be uncomfortable as it can lead to lengthy silence from participants, but it builds a space of support where the cohort can support each other.
It was a surreal experience coming full circle with the program as the Federal Judicial Center has long been a guiding light of professionalism, excellence, and empowerment that I strive to be like. Their faculty and staff have long been experts I consult with and utilize their knowledge to improve interventions and collaboration. I’m proud to have been part of this program and honored to attend as an observer to reflect on the path federal collaborative courts are heading with the hope of A Curiae supporting these programs on a national level.
Comments