NEWS RELEASE
www.ncsconline.org

Contact: 
William E. Raftery
Court Research Analyst
National Center for State Courts
Williamsburg, VA  23185
757.259.1811
wraftery@ncsc.dni.us

Court Security Issues
 Featured in Latest Edition of Justice System Journal

Williamsburg, VA (March 15, 2007) – The National Center for State Courts today released the new issue of Justice System Journal (JSJ), which features a special mini-symposium on court security. This centerpiece is a first-of-its-kind discussion among court practitioners, legislators, and architects who discuss their definitions of “court security.” This issue is available at www.ncsconline.org/D_Comm/Services/Submissions/JSJ1.htm, or call 757-259-1811 or email wraftery@ncsc.dni.us.  Mini-symposium articles include: 

  • William E. Raftery, mini-symposium guest editor and editor of the National Association for Court Management's 2005 Court Security Guide, discusses the expectations vs. the reality of court security.

  • Dow Constantine, King County councilmember and former member of the Washington State House and Senate, discusses the legislature’s responsibilities and the public’s right to safe courthouses. 

  • Carolina S. Cooper, associate director of the Justice Programs Office, at the School of Public Affairs at American University, details how the idea of court security has evolved over the last three decades. 

  • Sheriff John E. Zaruba of Dupage County, IL, asks whether court security is a direction or a destination and outlines what is required for the modern court. 

  •  Judge Colin F. Campbell, formerly of the Maricopa County Superior Court, and Marcus W. Reinkensmeyer, that court’s administrator, discuss the role of judicial leadership plays in court security.  

  • Edward A. Feiner, who served as chief architect of the U.S. General Services Administration, discusses the abilities and limitations of architecture in securing our courts. 

  • Zygmont A. Pines, Pennsylvania’s state court administrator, talks about prudent risk management from an administrator’s perspective. 

 The issue also includes the following two articles:

  • Security at What Cost? A Comparative Evaluation of Increased Court Security George Mason University professor Jon B. Gould examines two courthouses and finds that although increased attention has been paid to court security, little evaluation has been conducted of the effects of heightened security on court operations or court users. 

  • Emergency Management in the Courts: Trends after September 11 and Hurricane Katrina, Thomas A. Birkland and Carrie A. Schneider of the State University of New York at Albany, examine the nature and extent of emergency planning in the courts, its variability across jurisdictions, and the extent to which other branches of government consider court security a priority.

The National Center for State Courts (NCSC), founded in 1971 by Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice and provides leadership, research, technology, education, and training to the state courts. 

Justice System Journal ( JSJ), a peer-reviewed journal, is published three times a year by the NCSC. JSJ is printed by the West Group as a public service for scholars, practitioners, and others interested in judicial administration. Stephen L. Wasby, professor emeritus, University at Albany, serves as editor-in-chief. 

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National Center for State Courts, 300 Newport Avenue, Williamsburg, VA  23185-4147