By The Honorable Edward J. Joseph,
Third Circuit Court (Wayne County)
The Third Circuit Court’s Juvenile
Mental Health Court, one of only six such programs in the state of Michigan,
held its first graduation ceremony on March 8, 2017, at Michigan State
University’s Detroit Center. Four youth
graduated from the program. The
celebration was attended by judges, clinical professionals, and administration
throughout the Third Circuit Court. The
graduating participants received certificates of completion, and Jonathan
Edison, a renowned motivational speaker, delivered the keynote address. Summer employment opportunities were made
available to the graduates.
The Juvenile Mental Health Court
program is a problem-solving court. After
months of planning to develop and structure the newly created program, the court
began accepting eligible youth participants in January of 2016. Considering active participants and pending
referrals, the program has grown to 25 youth.
The program combines judicial
supervision with community mental health and support services in an effort to
reduce court contact and out-of-home placements for juveniles and improve the
quality of life for program participants and their families. Youth residing in Wayne County who are
between the ages of 12 and 16 and have a matter pending before the court are
eligible, as long as they do not have a major assaultive offense.
The program, which I supervise, has successfully partnered with agencies and services throughout
Wayne County to offer mental health treatment, pro-social activities,
educational groups, and support services to all program participants. The program promotes independence,
empowerment, and success of the youth and their families. Plans are ongoing for recreational activities
during the summer months.
For information regarding the Juvenile
Mental Health Court program, contact the program coordinator, Deborah Nelson,
at 313-833-1568.
Judge Edward J. Joseph was appointed to the
Third Judicial Circuit Court by Governor Rick Snyder in April 2014. He is assigned to the Family Division-Juvenile
Section. Prior to his appointment, Judge
Joseph served as an attorney in private practice for 26 years, handling civil,
family and criminal litigation. He also served as a special assistant attorney
general. Judge Joseph graduated from the
University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in business administration,
majoring in accounting and finance. He
received his Jurist Doctor from Wayne State University Law School in 1987, and
was inducted into the Order of the Coif upon graduation.