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NEWS RELEASE
www.ncsconline.org
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National Center for State Courts
Leads Court Improvement Efforts in
the Area of Elder Abuse
Williamsburg, VA (June 15, 2006) – In
support of the United Nations’ World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June
15), the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) today released a
seminal Policy Paper resulting from the first-ever meeting of the
Elder Abuse and Courts Working Group in April. The Policy Paper
outlines specific products, strategies, and recommendations that can
be developed and implemented to increase awareness among the
judiciary and improve court responses to the serious and growing
problem of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The report can
be found at
www.ncsconline.org/famviol/elderabuse/index.html.
The multidisciplinary Elder Abuse and the
Courts Working Group is comprised of many of the nation’s elder
abuse experts, with representation from courts, criminal justice
agencies, adult protective services, advocacy and legal
organizations and government agencies. The Working Group was
established by the NCSC in 2005 to increase judicial awareness,
build court capacity, and develop tools that courts can use to
improve the identification of and response to the growing problem of
elder abuse.
The first national meeting of the Working
Group, which was supported through funds from the Archstone
Foundation, was held at NCSC headquarters in Williamsburg, Virginia
in April. The meeting report concludes with five recommendations
that emerged from the meeting. The recommendations highlight the
role of judicial leadership, recognition of elder abuse as a
problem, training, data collection and documentation, and
resources. The meeting resulted in an invigorated national network
of key individuals who can move the agenda forward. Working Group
participants remain committed to helping the courts craft a
proactive informed response to improve the lives of older
Americans.
The NCSC is currently engaged in a number of
follow-up activities to implement these recommendations and provide
leadership to the courts.
The National Center for State Courts, founded
in 1971 by Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, is a
non-profit organization dedicated to improving the administration of
justice and provides leadership, research, technology, education,
and training to the state courts. The National Center also is taking
the lead on several key issues facing the justice system. For
example, the National Center is working to improve citizens’
participation in the jury system, reform the judicial selection
process, and develop a model policy on public access to court
records. The National Center is headquartered in Williamsburg, Va.,
with offices in Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colo.
Contact:
Lorri Montgomery, Director of Communications
757.259.1525
lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us
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