National Center for State Courts
National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) is a nonprofit organization serving the needs of justice in the nation’s state and local courts. NCSC was founded in 1971 by U.S. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and other judicial leaders who saw the need for a central resource for the nation’s state, local, and territorial courts. Today, NCSC meets that need in five ways:
- direct technical assistance and consulting services;
- research and technology;
- information and education:
- government relations and association management; and
- international exchange and cooperation.
Consulting and Technical Assistance
The Courts Services Division, located in Denver, Colorado, coordinates NCSC’s direct consulting and technical assistance services. Staff from the Courts Services Division provide assistance in such areas as court administration, caseflow management, process reengineering, court technology, architecture, finance and budgeting, family law, human resources, and other court operations. Project teams are assembled to provide courts with expert on-site consulting. When appropriate, the Court Services Division complements its own teams with staff from other NCSC divisions, staff from state and local courts, and private consultants. Contact: Laura Klaversma (800) 466-3063
Information and Education
NCSC’s Institute for Court Management (ICM) provides information and education services for court leaders. The Information Service tracks trends and operates a clearinghouse for information on state courts. National educational programs provide training and continuing education in judicial administration for judges and court administrators. The Court Executive Development Program offers an intensive, four-part curriculum on leadership, management, and judicial administration. ICM also conducts training and consultative services to individual states and international clients. The NCSC Library houses the world’s largest collection pertaining to judicial administration with more than 30,000 catalogued items. Contact: Brenda Jones (800) 616-6164
Research and Technology
The Research Division enhance court performance by providing leaders with the knowledge necessary to administer justice fairly, equitable, and efficiently and by anticipating societal changes that will affect courts and the communities they serve. Specifically, it’s goals are to:
- Provide the court community with relevant, innovative, applied research;
- Promote, through research, the leadership and policies of the state court community;
- Exchange research information with the court community using a variety of communication methods;
- Maintain and improve a nationally recognized staff with expertise in court administration, court technology, and research methodology.
To meet these goals, the Research Division is organized into three research teams conducting projects on court performance standards, court resources and statistics, jury innovations and evaluation of tort litigation, sentencing reform, community-focused courts, domestic violence, ethnic and linguistic diversity, and court technology research, standards, and applications.
Contact: Pam Petrakis (800) 616 6109
Association Services and Publications
The Association Services Division actively supports the leadership, education, publication, and networking agendas of nine organizations of state court officials, including the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA), the American Judges Association (AJA), and the National Association for Court Management (NACM). The division’s Office of Government Relations, located in Washington, D.C., assists the leaders of the judiciaries in advancing and protecting the interest of state courts at the national level.
The publications program provides the information and knowledge needed by state judicial officials to strengthen the effectiveness of courts. NCSC publishes Center Court, a quarterly newsletter devoted to the work of the National Center and other news of interests to state courts; the Justice System Journal, a scholarly journal devoted to the improvement of court administration; and numerous books, monographs, and reference works on court organization and operations issues. In addition, the program edits and publishes the journals and newsletters of the associations, including The Court Manager and Court Review, the quarterly journals of NACM and AJA.
Contact: Kay Farley (800) 532-0204
International Programs
The International Programs Office brings together NCSC’s many international activities and acts as a catalyst to improve the administration of justice and the rule of law worldwide. International activities include technical assistance, consulting, educational programs, and an international visitors program.
National Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue
Williamsburg, VA 23185
(P.O. Box 8798, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8798)
(800) 877-1233; FAX (757) 220-0449
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment
A: Program Instruction ACYF-PI-94-12
Attachment B: Estimated State Court Allotments
for FYs 1999-2001
Attachment
C: Standard Forms 424 and 424-A
Attachment
D: List of State Child Welfare
Administrators
Attachment
E: List of ACF Regional Administrators
Resources:
Center
on Children and the Law, American Bar Association
Permanency
Planning for Children Department
National Center for
Juvenile Justice
