The newly-released Office of Dispute Resolution Annual Report for FY2021 includes an overview of mediation and restorative justice (RJ), a summary of services provided by approved mediation centers, an inspirational restorative justice story, and case statistics. It outlines challenges and...

The Office of Dispute Resolution released two reports describing the findings of the statewide Victim Youth Conferencing program. The final evaluation report, The Victim Youth Conferencing (VYC) Evaluation: January 2018 June 2021 VYC Enhancement Initiative Fiscal Report, outlines the final findings...

On August 31, 2021, the Colfax-Butler-Saunders Problem-Solving Court celebrated the inaugural graduation with Justin Johnson, Jason Dean, and Daniel Johnson at the Saunders County Courthouse in Wahoo, Nebraska. Judge Tina Marroquin presided over the ceremony. In attendance were Senator Bostelman...

The Lincoln County Adult Drug Court celebrated the graduation of Erica Guerra on September 3, 2021, at the Lincoln County District Court in North Platte. The ceremony marks the completion of an intensive program of comprehensive mental health treatment, intensive community supervision, and full...

On August 23, 2021, the Sarpy County Adult Drug Court celebrated the graduation of seven participants at the Sarpy County Courthouse in Papillion, Nebraska. Judge Stefanie Martinez presided over the ceremony. The ceremony marks the completion of an intensive program of comprehensive drug treatment...

During a home visit on June 24, 2021, Northeast Nebraska Drug Court officers Brett Walker and Joy Carmichael knocked several times at their participant's door with no answer. Eventually, they heard a slam against the door and incoherent, slurred speech. Concerned about the safety of the person...

Weighted Caseload Reports for Nebraska's District, County and Separate Juvenile courts have been uploaded to the Judicial Branch Website. No quantitative judicial workload assessment method, including the weighted caseload method, can determine the exact number of judges needed within each judicial...

Janelle Cantu, Associate Public Guardian, is a vital part of the Omaha team at the Office of Public Guardian. Cantu is an exceptional guardian who advocates for the best interest of her state wards, working tirelessly during the Covid-19 lockdown to ensure her wards received care and support. She is...

The Nebraska Supreme Court approved the addition of the Substance Use Monitor position, a new generation of Drug Technicians charged with greater and intentional integration of drug testing operations into day-to-day case management. One of the first steps toward establishing an effective success...

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month — a time to raise awareness on this stigmatized, and often taboo, topic. Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. In fact, suicide is often the result of an untreated mental...