SIDEBAR Winter 2017-18 - 24

MONTGOMERYBAR.ORG

SIDEBAR FEATURE

Court Creates
New Administrative
Judge Position
By Denise S. Vicario, Esq.

ffective January 2018, the Montgomery County Court will
have a new Administrative Judge position - Administrative
Judge for Specialty Courts. President Judge Thomas M.
DelRicci created this new administrative judge position that will
oversee all the Montgomery County treatment courts: Drug
Treatment Court, Behavioral Health Court, and Veterans'
Treatment Court.
The President Judge explains that this position was created
- and very much needed - "Since the work that these treatment
courts are doing has just gotten too large and the issues are very
complex because you're dealing with not only the Montgomery
County Department of Probation and Parole...you are also
dealing with a myriad of agencies that assist us in providing
services for the needs of those people in those programs.
Additionally, there's a lot of grant applications and administrative
details that have to be handled and take time."

Judge Steven T. O'Neill who launched the Drug Treatment
Court - the Court's first specialty court in 2006 - will transition
from Criminal Administrative Judge to Specialty Courts
Administrative Judge. Judge O'Neill stated: "Over 80% of
the individuals involved in the criminal justice system have
a substance use disorder, mental health issue or are veterans.
Treatment Courts have become the most successful intervention
in the justice system when dealing with this population. I laud
President Judge DelRicci for having the foresight to create this
judicial administrative position, which will allow the evidencebased practices of specialty Treatment Courts to be further
integrated into the Montgomery County Justice System." Judge
Thomas C. Branca will take over Criminal Administrative duties
from Judge O'Neill in January.
Additionally, Judge Carolyn T. Carluccio was appointed to be
the new administrative judge for the Family Court Division. Judge
Lois E. Murphy will remain as the administrative judge of the
Orphans' Court Division; Judge Thomas P. Rogers will remain the
administrative judge of the Civil Court Division; and rounding
out the administrative judge positions, Judge Wendy DemchickAlloy will remain administrative judge of the Juvenile Court
Division.
Judge Gary S. Silow will continue to oversee Behavioral Health
Court, which was established in 2009 by now Senior Judge Joseph
A. Smyth, and addresses the needs of people with serious mental
health problems who are progressing through the criminal justice
system. Judge Cheryl L. Austin will oversee Veterans' Treatment
Court, which previously was overseen by former President Judge
William J. Furber, Jr. and Judge Todd D. Eisenberg. Established in
April 2011, the Veterans' Treatment Court addresses the needs of
veterans who interface with the criminal justice system in both the
Magisterial District Courts and the Court of Common Pleas.

24 SIDEBAR

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SIDEBAR Winter 2017-18