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How did the Citizen's Council begin? |
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How did the Citizens Council begin? On a snowy evening in mid-January 2002, twenty-one residents of Belknap County stood side by side and took an oath of office from Special Justice Willard G. Martin, Jr., a judge with thirty years experience handling juvenile cases at the Laconia District Court. Standing in a wide semi-circle in front of their friends, families, and colleagues, these first members of the County's brand-new Citizens Council on Children and Families, pledged to build a positive environment for children and families in Belknap County. In so doing, these citizens took the first step towards realizing a long-held dream of Judge Martin, many juvenile justice professionals, and numerous visionary citizens - and that is, the County's system of juvenile justice operating without its cloak of secrecy in partnership with lay citizens who are invested in achieving positive outcomes for all youth and their families. Read the official proclamation of the Belknap County Commisioners This newly formed Belknap County Citizens Council on Children and Families was not a dream spun out of thin air. Thousands of hours of research and planning by Judge Martin and members of the Belknap Juvenile Justice Initiative (BJJI), an ad hoc task force of professionals and citizen volunteers convened in early 2000 to improve the County's system of juvenile justice, served as busy prelude to this historic evening. After studying the issues and examining several national programs, BJJI members were drawn to a model program in Deschutes County Oregon, a region with stunning mountain vistas, rolling valleys, and the challenges of a tourist economy echoing those in Belknap County. Based on all they had learned from their visits to Deschutes County and their observations and study together, BJJI members shared their concerns and their recommendations for change with the Commissioners of Belknap County. Together they drafted a plan for the future. |
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| (front row, L-R) Evelyn Auger, Sanbornton; Robert Rovella, New Hampton; Wes Colby, Laconia; Sheila Weeks, Gilford; James Pilliod, Belmont; John Irwin, Laconia; Kevin Washburn, Tilton; (Standing L-R) Special Justice Willard Martin who officiated at Inaugural Ceremony, County Commissioner Philip Daigneault, Leo Sanfacon, Gilford; David Russell, Gilmanton; Alida Millham, Gilford; Scott AndersEn, Center Harbor; Gil Schohan, Belmont; Andre Paquette, Laconia; Mary Alice Warner, Center Harbor; Mark Condodemetraky, Belmont; Linda Brewer, Meredith; Peter Michaud, Center Harbor; and Sue Smith, Gilford, County Commissioner Mark Thurston, and Citizens Council Executive Director, Alan Robichaud.
Missing from photo are: Cathy Apfel, Barnstead; Jim Carroll, Laconia; and Richard Wallace, Alton. |
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Who is Special Justice (ret) Willard G. Martin, Jr? Judge Martin, or "Bud" as he is more commonly called, collected a group of two-dozen professional associates and friends whose concerns echoed those of his own. In April 2000 Martin charged this team with studying the current system of juvenile justice and offering recommendations for improvements. His tenacity, soaring optimism, and unflagging energies have made him the father of this reform effort, generating state, county, and community support, and leading to the creation of a new county department, the Belknap County Citizens Council on Children and Families. Judge Martin grew up and attended schools in Laconia where his interests in community service first began to flourish. After finishing high school in 1955, he graduated with honors from Bates College in Maine where he served as the student body president. He then obtained his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1962 and in 1984, a Master of Law degree from Boston University. Throughout his life, Bud has always been a dedicated social activist, seeking out numerous opportunities throughout the Lakes Region where he could bring positive change. Bud has been continuously associated with the Martin, Lord, and Osman Law Firm over a 40-year period, initially as a law clerk and now as the group's president. In addition to his numerous and ongoing responsibilities with the law firm, Martin was appointed a justice of the Laconia District Court in 1972. By choice, his docket as a judge was almost exclusively juvenile cases. Underscoring his skills and affinity for at-risk families, Bud was also appointed Judge for the pilot "Family Division" program, located in Grafton County that included family jurisdiction for three State trial courts. Judge Martin held these judicial appointments until he retired from the bench in January 2008. Bud Martin is married to Margaret Demos, also an attorney in Laconia. In addition to two adult daughters from a previous marriage, Bud and Margaret are parents to Galya. Galya, who is now a teenager, was adopted by the Martins in 1998 as a 4-year old orphan from Siberia. The Martin-Demos family lives in Center Sandwich. |
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What is/was the Belknap Juvenile Justice Initiative? The following juvenile justice professionals and citizen volunteers worked together over a 20-month period (April 2000 to January 2002) with Judge Willard Martin to study the County's system of juvenile justice and make recommendations for improvement and change. We would like to thank them for their contributions.
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What problems with the current County system of juvenile justice were identified by members of the Belknap Juvenile Justice Initiative? Belknap County is fortunate to have a number of dedicated and talented professionals who work with juveniles throughout the County's eleven communities. Most of them spend far more than a normal workweek and most of them display an admirable amount of creative ingenuity to meet the demands of their jobs. |
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Council members discuss potential answers to the various problems and challenges facing children and families in Belknap County. March 2003
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The following information was prepared by
members of the Belknap Juvenile Justice Initiative in 2001: |
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"In spite of these assets, there are numerous problems and barriers in the juvenile justice system in this County. Resources available to these committed professionals just do not stretch far enough to handle the more than 500 juveniles processed each year through our juvenile courts. True justice, of a quality that will foster lifestyle changes in these juveniles and their families, is often not possible. For the citizens of Belknap County, the Juvenile Justice System is perceived as a process closed to the general public. While most people understand that this strategy is to protect the confidentiality of the juvenile, it also leads to the conclusion that those youngsters shielded from scrutiny are rarely held accountable. Because of these statutory restraints, the system is almost impenetrable by even those citizens most accustomed to civic responsibility. Citizens who don't know what is happening have no reason to care what is happening. For the County's three elected Commissioners and delegation of State Representatives, the Juvenile Justice System is by far the largest cost center in the County's budget. Current practices in the system have become prohibitively expensive. In 1999, court-ordered services to juveniles in Belknap County cost $4,262,376. The County's share of this was $944,763. with the balance paid by the State. Because of the design of the system, County officials have little or no input as to how or where this money is spent. This amount does not include the educational expenses that are paid by our school system, an expense that is also carried by taxpayers. For our juvenile justice professionals, including service providers, the judiciary, and both police and supervision authorities, the Juvenile Justice System promotes rehabilitation for the juvenile. But this rehabilitation is tempered because of scarce fiscal and personnel resources as well as court time that does not prioritize continual vigilance and accountability. Communication among this array of professionals is often fragmented, making it difficult for these workers to see and understand the juvenile system in its entirety. For Belknap County juveniles entering the juvenile justice system, the system is seen as one with court delays, lack of graduated consequences, service gaps, an absence of effective measures that promote accountability, and effective outcomes. In response, juvenile participants have been heard to say, "Don't worry, they'll never do anything to you", which of course spurs on even more youths to "give crime a try". For Victims of juvenile crime, the confidential nature of the juvenile justice system excludes them from the process. Victims are often unaware of how their cases are resolved. The system provides little or no opportunities to address victim trauma or supply supportive services." |
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What were the recommendations for improvement and change? Understanding that meaningful change should be sequential and gradual, the Initiative recommended three initial steps to introduce the process. Following a town meeting format, designed to educate residents and leaders in each of the County's eleven communities, all three suggestions are now underway through a creative partnership with Belknap County. It is expected that the Citizens Council, now in place as a County department, will assume leadership around continuing change. 1. Recognizing that the current components of the County's juvenile justice system and its approach to children and family issues have often been reactive rather than proactive, fragmented rather than seamless, and competitive rather than collaborative, Initiative members urged the adoption of an umbrella philosophy called "Community Justice". Its success in unifying diversified community interests has proven effective in Deschutes County. 2. Supports for the umbrella come from a vehicle for citizen leadership, investment, and advocacy. Called the Belknap County Citizens Council on Children and Families, its membership stretches across the County and includes community residents from all walks of life. The mandate of this Citizens Council is to understand and communicate across a sweep of programs and services and advocate for changes that will include prevention and will support an integrated system for families and children in Belknap County. 3. The third recommendation from the Initiative comes after identifying voids in what should be a continuum of graduated sanctions for juvenile offenders. There are just not enough services and programs between diversion and the final option, placement in an expensive residential facility. Addressing this gap, the Initiative has already guided the creation of a new program for juvenile offenders, one that imposes increased sanctions on the youth and his/her family. Called the Belknap County Juvenile Restorative Justice Program, this new option mandates a court appearance, requires parental support, emphasizes the principles of restorative justice (explained below), and provides opportunities for citizen involvement. This program was funded through the NH Department of Justice, Belknap County Incentive Funds, and the Annette Schmitt Foundation. It is now housed and administered through the Belknap County Sheriff's Department. An important goal of this Restorative Justice Program is to work within the continuum of programs and services including sharing resources with other programs in the County. |
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