Criminal Justice Council Announces Public Hearings

WILMINGTON, Del. – The Delaware Criminal Justice Council will be holding public hearings in each county and the City of Wilmington during September and October.

The public hearings give citizens of Delaware the opportunity to discuss criminal justice issues facing our state with members of the CJC. People will have the opportunity to tell the panel what they think are the most important issues facing the state which will allow for their input to be used in developing strategies for improving the criminal justice process in Delaware.

Some of the CJC membership includes the Attorney General, The Public Defender, Chief Judges of all State Courts, Cabinet Secretaries, Chiefs of Police and public members.

The hearings and locations are:

Thursday, Sept. 24th (6-8PM)   at the Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood Center (1018 West 6th St., Wilmington, DE)

Thursday, Oct.1st (6-8PM) at the Canaan Baptist Church ( 3011 New Castle Ave., New Castle, DE)

Thursday, Oct. 8th (6-8PM)  at the Dover Police Meeting Room (400 S. Queen St., Dover, DE)

Thursday, Oct. 22nd (6-8PM) at the Georgetown Public Library (123 W. Pine St., Georgetown, DE)

 


The Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services in cooperation with the Criminal Justice Council announce the Statewide Juvenile Civil Citation Program Beginning

Wilmington, DE- The Criminal Justice Council is pleased to announce that funding has been awarded to the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families (DSCYF), Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services (DYRS) for the implementation of Delaware’s Juvenile Civil Citation Program. This project will address juvenile first-time misdemeanor offenses for violations of Disorderly Conduct, Loitering, Shoplifting, Title IV Alcohol Offenses (underage consumption and possession), Possession of Marijuana (less than 1 ounce), and Criminal Trespass III. Since early 2010, the State has convened work groups with statewide representatives involved in juvenile justice to look at alternative methods of arrest for low level first-time misdemeanor juveniles.

The Juvenile Civil Citation Program funded with a grant of $67,745 per year for three years, will try to prevent further delinquency, and ensure that participating youth will address their offense appropriately without creating a criminal record.  This will allow juveniles the opportunity to be held accountable for their actions without limiting future growth and success as the result of having a criminal arrest/adjudication. Additionally, participating youth will be given the opportunity to have intervention services at pre arrest stage of delinquency. “The Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services looks forward to building partnerships with our community stakeholders and law enforcement to promote and expand the civil citation process statewide.  By intervening at the early stages of delinquency, we can provide immediate intervention and hold youth accountable for their actions”, said YRS Director Nancy Dietz.

Christian Kervick, Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Council, noted that we were proud to be a partner in the development of the Civil Citation program for DYRS. This program will provide another tool for law enforcement to move low level first time juvenile offenders through the system efficiently and effectively while reserving more resources to dedicate to more serious juvenile offenders.

Studies have shown that diverting first-time juvenile misdemeanants through programs such as civil citation saves significant dollars that otherwise would be spent if these same youth were arrested and required to go through formal delinquency processing.  Delaware’s model utilizes much of the existing state’s juvenile justice system tools, with the addition and creation of a Juvenile Civil Citation Coordinator position to organize, collaborate, and move this concept forward. The projected start date will be in July, 2015.

 


“Discovering Delaware’s Maritime Past”

-17th annual Chautauqua tent show to take place in Lewes, Del. from June 21–25, 2015-

(DOVER, Del.—June 12, 2015)—The First State’s essential relationship with the Delaware River and Bay, and the sea, will be brought to life during the 17th annual Chautauqua tent show, “Discovering Delaware’s Maritime Past.” Events and programs will take place at a variety of downtown Lewes, Del. locations including the Zwaanendael Museum and the Lewes Historical Society from June 21 to 25, 2015. Admission is free and open to the public. Go here for a complete listing of activities. For additional information, call 302-645-1148.

A unique mixture of education and entertainment, Lewes’ Chautauqua will be held under a large tent and will be headlined by re-enactors from the American Historical Theatre who will take on the personas of celebrated historical figures, educating and entertaining audiences as they bring the past to life. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions and interact with the featured characters who will include American-Revolutionary-War-era sea captain Gideon Olmstead; enslaved African-American poet Phillis Wheatley discussing her voyage to Britain; Gov. William Augustus Newell, founder of U.S. Life-Saving Service; and first lady Abigail Adams discussing trade and embargoes during the American Revolution. The Chautauqua will also feature several family-friendly events including “Songs and Stories of Old Sailing Days,” “Run It Up the Flagpole and Sea” and the Pyrates Royale Duo; plus a new display at the Zwaanendael Museum on His Majesty’s Sloop of War DeBraak, a British warship that sank off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798.

Chautauqua takes its name from a series of adult education programs that were first held at a campsite on the shores of Lake Chautauqua in upstate New York during the late-19th century. Chautauquas spread throughout America in the late-19th and early-20th centuries bringing speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day to a wide cross-section of the nation’s rural and small-town population. Circuit Chautauquas (also known as Tent Chautauquas) were an itinerant manifestation of the movement. Programs would be presented in tents pitched in a field near town. After several days, the Chautauqua would fold its tents and move on to the next community. The popularity of Chautauquas peaked in the mid-1920s, after which radio, movies and automobiles brought about the gradual disappearance of the movement by the 1940s.

Reborn in the 1970s as a vehicle for humanities education, modern Chautauquas are organized around a core program in which re-enactors portray celebrated historical figures, speaking and interacting with audiences, often in the setting of a large outdoor tent. Modern Chautauquas have been presented annually in Delaware since 1999 featuring a wide variety of historical figures including Abraham Lincoln; Amelia Earhart; Dolley Madison; Eleanor Roosevelt; Edgar Allan Poe; the Lone Ranger; John Philip Sousa; and Delaware’s own Pvt. James Elbert, Maj. Allen McLane, F.O.C. Darley and Clifford Brown.

Delaware’s 2015 Chautauqua is partially funded by a grant from the Delaware Humanities Forum, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is being presented as a partnership between the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the Lewes Historical Society and the Lewes Chamber of Commerce. Additional financial support is provided by the Delaware Heritage Commission, Delmarva Power and Sussex County Council under the auspices of Councilwoman Joan Deaver.

Delaware Humanities Forum logo


Department of Correction marks National Crimes Victims’ Rights Week by reviewing first year of enhanced victim services, launching new informational resource

Dover – The Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) today marked National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, observed this year from April 19-25, by reaffirming its commitment to engaging with survivors and their families and unveiling a new informational brochure for community members impacted by crime.

Last spring, Commissioner Robert Coupe strengthened DOC’s victim resources by establishing a statewide victim service coordinator position. Coupe hired experienced victim advocate Renee Buskirk as DOC’s first Victim Services Coordinator to serve as a direct point of contact for victims and to engage with state and local police agencies, the Attorney General’s office, and non-profit social service agencies in an effort to coordinate resources for victims as their cases move from the prosecution, through the term of offenders’ criminal sentences, and beyond.

“For many survivors of crime and their families, the arrest of a suspect and the conclusion of the prosecution are just two steps in a years-long recovery and healing process,” Commissioner Coupe said today. “Survivors and their families continue to need the support of the criminal justice system. That’s where our Victim Services program steps in to provide information about the DOC’s supervision of offenders who are serving criminal sentences and to offer referrals to services and programs that can support victims in their ongoing recovery.”

Commissioner Coupe reported today that over the past year DOC’s Victim Services Coordinator has responded to more than 1,400 inquiries. In response to those inquiries, the DOC has developed the Guide to Victim Services, an informational brochure that outlines several state resources for survivors and their families, features answers to frequently asked questions, and provides contact information for victim serving organizations. “We’re pleased that our enhanced victim services are meeting our goal of providing a new level of individual service to victims and families who have been impacted by offenders in our custody or in community-based supervision, and we hope that our new informational brochure empowers victims to reach out for help and engage in the correctional system,” Coupe said.

The DOC Victim Services Coordinator assists victims to:
• be prepared to participate in the correctional process, if they choose
• understand DOC’s role in supervising offenders who serve criminal sentences, including its supervision of offenders in prison and in the community
• obtain information and answers to questions surrounding the processes of incarceration and probation
• receive information and referrals to services
• register with VINELink, an automated notification system that allows crime victims to obtain real-time information about criminal court cases and changes in the custody status of offenders
• check eligibility for victim’s compensation
• establish Protection From Abuse (PFA) orders
• connect with domestic violence advocacy programs

DOC victim services contact information:
Renee Buskirk, Victim Services Coordinator
Phone: (302) 857-5440
E-mail: DOC_VictimServices@delaware.gov
Web: www.doc.delaware.gov (click on “Victim Services”)

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National Crime Victims’ Rights Week

DOVER, DELAWARE- National Crime Victims’ Rights Week promotes victims’ rights and honors crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. This year’s theme is Engaging Communities, Empowering Victims reminding us all that individually and collectively, each citizen has a role in supporting victims of crime and empowering them to direct their own recovery.

The week’s feature event is the Crime Victims Tribute, scheduled for Monday, April 20th, 2015 at the Delaware State University MLK, Jr. Student Center in Dover. The keynote speaker for the night is Meredith Gardner. Meredith’s mother, Tammy Gardner was murdered in 2006 in Wilmington when she tried to escape a domestic violence relationship. Meredith was twelve years old and her brother was ten. The crime has forever changed their lives and Meredith wants her voice to be heard. She wants those who hear her voice to know she is not just a young woman without a mother; she is young woman who wants to be an advocate for change. Meredith wants to honor her mother by doing all that she can to prevent anyone else from becoming another victim of domestic violence.

For more information about this event please call 1-800-victim-1;  or visit the Delaware Victims Rights Task Force website:  https://sites.google.com/site/delawarevrtf/home/CVRW/2015-tribute

On Thursday, April 23rd, 2015 at 1:30pm a Proclamation Signing Ceremony marking the week of April 19th – 26th, 2015 as Delaware Crime Victims’ Rights Week will occur at Legislative Hall. Governor Jack Markell will sign the Proclamation as part of a week honoring victims of crime. The Domestic Violence Coordinating Council will present the 2015 Outstanding Community Service Award to Senator Liane Sorenson for her 17 years of service in the General Assembly, a member of the Coordinating Council for 20 years, and her dedication to enhancing the safety of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Before the Proclamation signing victims of crime and victim advocates will be in Legislative Hall meeting with Legislators to advocate for victims rights in Delaware.

Follow all the Crime Victims’ Rights Week and Sexual Assault Awareness Month Events:

#30daysofSAAM, #NCVRW2015, #EmpowerDE