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Critical Judgment: How Juvenile and Family Court Judges Can Help Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy

NCJ Number
231277
Date Published
2009
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Survey results are presented from National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) members on teens and unplanned pregnancy.
Abstract
Survey results indicate that preventing teen and unplanned pregnancy are important issues to an overwhelming majority of judges interviewed. While many respondents indicated an interest in and ability to work on teen and unplanned pregnancy prevention, lack of time and resources were cited as major barriers to actually doing so. Recommendations are presented based on the responses and comments received from the judges who participated in the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) survey. To help address the problem of teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy, a partnership was established between the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and NCJFCJ to produce information and resource materials to help judges better serve children in their community. A survey was conducted of NCJFCJ members regarding teen and unplanned pregnancy in juvenile dependency and delinquency courts. Results of the survey are provided as well as a summary of focus groups held with judges, a detailed case study of how one Miami judge deals with teen and unplanned pregnancy, and a brief look at efforts from other localities. Figures and table