Speakers:Carla Landry, Tammy Gibson, and Brooks Hebert, from CASA

History and objectives of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children. .

 In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, WA, saw a recurring problem in his courtroom. To ensure he was getting all the facts and the long-term welfare of each child was being represented, the Seattle judge came up with an idea that would change America’s judicial procedure and the lives of over a million children. He obtained funding to recruit and train community volunteers to step into courtrooms on behalf of the children.

This unique concept was implemented in Seattle as a pilot program in January 1977. During that first year, the program provided 110 trained CASA volunteers for 498 children in 376 dependency cases.

In 1978 the National Center of State Courts selected the Seattle program as the “best national example of citizen participation in the juvenile justice system.” This recognition,  Continue reading →