TOPEKA—The Office of Judicial Administration has developed a protocol for lawyers and judges who work in juvenile court to complete and report relevant continuing legal education and continuing judicial education, which is now required under state law.
When the 2016 Kansas Legislature passed Senate Bill 367 creating and amending state law related to the juvenile justice system, it included a requirement that the Office of Judicial Administration develop or designate a training protocol for judges, county and district attorneys, and defense attorneys who work in juvenile court.
OJA recommends that judges, county and district attorneys, and defense attorneys working in juvenile court report when they complete training approved for continuing legal or continuing judicial education in the following areas:
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adolescent mental health issues
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adolescent brain development
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juvenile justice legislative updates
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evidence based sentencing
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principles of effective intervention
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cognitive behavioral intervention
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trauma informed care of adolescents
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other topics related to juvenile justice
A copy of the protocol and a link to the online reporting tool may be found on the Kansas judicial branch website at www.kscourts.org under Programs. The reporting tool will be available beginning July 15, 2017. The Office of Judicial Administration will report data it collects to the Kansas Legislature and the juvenile justice oversight committee, as required in K.S.A. 20-318a.
Judges or attorneys who have questions about the training protocol may submit them by email to info@kscourts.org.
20-318a. Training for attorneys and judges who work in juvenile court.
(a) The office of judicial administration shall designate or develop a training protocol for judges, county and district attorneys and defense attorneys who work in juvenile court.
(b) The office of judicial administration shall report annually to the legislature and to the juvenile justice oversight committee established pursuant to K.S.A. 2016 Supp. 75- 52,161, and amendments thereto, data pertaining to the completion of the training protocol, including, but not limited to, the number of judges, district and county attorneys and defense attorneys who did and did not complete the training protocol.
History: L. 2016, ch. 46, § 10; July 1.