Since our inception, we have been working with Nebraska juvenile courts to address the needs of infants and toddlers.
Our work with courts has continued to expand to include organization and support of court processes that infuse therapeutic practices supportive of families with young children. We currently have two primary partnerships with Judge Heideman’s Lancaster County Family Treatment Drug Court and Judge Crnkovich’s Douglas County FIRST Court. We also provide support to many other courts and court teams across Nebraska.
Beginning in 2019, NRPVYC partnered with Judge Linda Porter and the Lancaster County Through the Eyes of the Child (TEOC) Domestic Violence Subcommittee to enhance the practice and services provided to children and families served by juvenile court who have experienced domestic violence.
This enhanced practice for juvenile court domestic violence cases aims to give children and parents the opportunity to end the cycle of domestic violence through support, intervention, and education. The dedicated group of professionals working on these cases are encouraged to work as a team to enhance communication and build relationships that will engage the families, provide individual support, and ultimately improve outcomes in these often times complex cases.
The development and enhancement of practices on domestic violence cases is ongoing. Initial enhancements include:
NRPVYC supports this ongoing work through the following elements:
In Furnas County Court, Judge Paine and a group of local attorneys wanted to try a different working with families with abuse or neglect cases in order to provide better outcomes. The team in Furnas County is working with NRPVYC and the NCRP to implement and evaluate their program changes. A few fundamental concepts are driving the work going forward:
The Family Treatment Drug Court (FTDC) Track is a mandatory family drug court established by Judge Roger Heideman in the Separate Juvenile Court in Lancaster County, Nebraska. Family Drug Courts are specialized dependency courts focused on families with substance use and abuse. The FTDC Track seeks to:
We provide single issue and larger system support to a number of juvenile courts and juvenile professionals across Nebraska. Examples include:
Family Treatment Drug Court:
Wisehart, C., Hazen, K., and Carlson, M. (2019) (2017). Case Closure Among the Lancaster County's Family Treatment Drug Court: The Role of Personal Relationships. Poster presentation at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Undergraduate Research Fair, Lincoln, NE.
Fessinger, M, et. al. (2019). Mandatory, fast, and fair: Case outcomes and procedural justice in a family drug court. Journal of Experimental Criminology, published online 19 June 2019.
Patnode, C., Hautpman, K, Fessinger, M, & Hazen, K. (2018). An evaluation of parent perception in the Lancaster County FTDC Track. Poster presented at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln Undergraduate Research Fair, Lincoln, NE.
Kaiser, H., Fessinger, M., & Hazen, K. (2018). Relinquishing vs. terminating parent rights: The role of procedural justice in a problem-solving court. Poster presented at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln Undergraduate Research Fair, Lincoln, NE.
Engquist, L., Fessinger, M., & Hazen, K. (2017). Parents’ perceptions of the Lancaster Family Treatment Drug Court. Poster presentation at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Undergraduate Research Fair, Lincoln, NE.
Heideman, R., Cole-Mossman, J., Hoetger, L., & Hazen, K.P. (2016). Giving parents a voice: a case study of a family treatment drug court track in Lancaster County, Nebraska. The Court Review, 52(1). 36-42.
Hazen, K., Hoetger, L., Cole-Mossman, J., Hauptman, K., & Brank, E. (2016). Family treatment drug court: A program evaluation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Psychology and Law Society, Atlanta, GA.
FIRST Court:
Hazen, K., Fessinger, M., Johnson, L., & Crnkovich, E. (2018). Therapeutic Approaches to Juvenile Court. Paper presentation at the Nebraska Young Child Institute, Kearney, NE.
Human, R., Fessinger, M., Hazen, K., & Brank, E.M. (2018). (FIRST) Court: A program evaluation. Poster presented at the annual meeting of American Psychology and Law Society, Memphis, TN.
Human, R., Morrissett, M., Fessinger, M., & Hazen, K. (2017). Parent experience in the Douglas County FIRST Court. Poster presentation at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Undergraduate Research Fair, Lincoln, NE.
Wachal, S., Hesson, H., Hazen, K., Hoetger, L., & Hauptman, K. (2016). Relationships between parents, caseworkers, and attorneys in the Douglas County Juvenile Court system. Poster presentation at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Undergraduate Research Fair, Lincoln, NE.
*Citations with the "" symbol have undergraduate co-authors.