Annual Family Court Conference – 2019
On Thursday, October 10, 2019, the Family Court of the DC Superior Court hosted its 17th Annual Interdisciplinary Conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The theme of the conference was Adolescent Health and the goal of the conference was to help those who work and practice in Family Court to better recognize, understand, and address concerns with adolescent health in DC.
The conference began with opening remarks from Superior Court Chief Judge Robert E. Morin, who spoke of the importance of gaining an understanding of issues relating to adolescent health, including mental health.
The keynote speaker was Roger A. Mitchell, Chief Medical Examiner of DC. Dr. Mitchell spoke about his work to upgrade the Medical Examiner’s Office, but also what he has done to improve the lives of youth aged 10-24 in the District. The biggest change being his expansion of mortality review -- analyzing the factors leading up to and causing death -- to help understand what can be done to lower death rates. Dr. Mitchell examined the common forms of death for youths aged 10-24 to better understand what changes might be necessary to make to reduce youth mortality rates. When analyzing the 223 deaths of youths in the past year, 51% of deaths were homicide, and another 13% were suicide, showing that almost two thirds of the deaths of young people in DC are both violent and preventable. This led to Dr. Mitchell’s conclusion, saying that the DC Family Court's progressive approach balancing treatment and punishment/accountability is a step in the right direction to a long term solution to resolving these preventable deaths. He thanked the judges for doing the hard work of implementing this newer, more progressive approach and said “We have a great opportunity here [with] the court looking at its work in a new way.”
The conference continued with the first panel discussion of the day, Addressing the Health Challenges of Our Court Involved Adolescents, with panelists Barbra Bazron, Director of the Behavioral Health Department, and Djinge Lindsay, Senior Medical Advisor for the DC Department of Health. The panel focused on the factors that impact the health and mental health of youth. Dr. Lindsay pointed out “We talk about youth mental health, but not enough about youth health,” pointing out that there are health factors that impact mental health, such as diet and exercise.
Dr. Lindsay went on to point out how the amount of violence in a community can impact the development of neighborhood youth, stating that 70% of young adults in the family court system see 10 times the amount of violent crimes in their neighborhoods in their developing years than the average. She suggested society treat violence in our communities as a public health crisis, like obesity or the opioid epidemic. With this treatment method, she argued, we could identify hotspots as well as more effective ways to combat violence.
Dr. Bazron continued the discussion, covering the many changes courts have made to find a solution to the youth violence epidemic. “Before we (those involved in the juvenile justice system) would begin by asking ‘why are you doing this?’ Now we begin by asking ‘what has happened to you?’ Dr. Bazron concluded her presentation by sharing resources available for young people in DC who need help or support, such as the community help line (202) 673-6495, and the emergency contact line (888) 7WE-HELP.
The next panel was a “Youth Voices” panel, with five local youth. While the previous panel focused on addressing systemic health concerns for adolescents, this panel mainly focused on overcoming and addressing trauma experienced by young adults. The panelists – all in their early to mid-twenties - were thrilled to have the opportunity to potentially serve as mentors for troubled youth, and to share their experiences as young people who have experienced trauma. Each of them expressed frustrations with adult figures in their lives who had shunned the idea of therapy, and agreed that one of the most immediate solutions to violence among youth would be to overcome the stigma against seeking mental health treatment.
Following this panel, the group “City at Peace” performed a reflective sketch drama telling stories from each of the performers' lives. These stories tackled themes such as overcoming neglect, getting through foster care, and the importance of a good support structure. City at Peace is a group of local youth who use dramatic theatre to express real issues, often in a self-reflective way. Despite the difficulties that come with sharing such personal trauma, the performers did a fantastic job and the audience was moved.
The conference concluded with four breakout sessions, each focusing on more specific issues the attendees could gain more detailed information about. These included Sexual/Reproductive Health, which addressed adolescent sexual behaviors, including high risk behaviors and any long term effects associated with sexual behavior during adolescence; Specialized Health Issues Facing LGBTQIA+ Adolescents, which explored specific methods of outreach and provision of services to this community and their families; Adolescent Mental Health Concerns, which looked to address adolescent depression, anxiety, trauma, and PTSD; and Ongoing and Emerging Health Risks for Youths, which looked at health concerns for youths, both mental health concerns like cyberbullying or the excessive use of social media, and physical health concerns like drug use and vaping.
While addressing youth health and trauma can be challenging, conferences like this serve to help the Family Court judges, staff and stakeholders make the best decisions to ensure the long-term health of the youth and to see them take productive paths in their lives.