Judge Receives Award for Improving Adolescent Mental Health at The New York Academy of Medicine

NEW YORK CITY, June 05??? The Honorable Juanita Bing Newton received the William A. Schonfeld, MD Award at The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), a award that recognizes significant contributions to adolescents and adolescent mental health and is given to people outside of the psychiatric field. Judge Newton spoke on “Adolescents in the New York State Criminal Courts” and focused on alternatives for adolescents within the judicial system and the impact of placement after adjudication. These issues are of particular importance to people who interface with adolescents in legal settings such as psychiatrists, pediatricians, psychologists, social workers, and all members of an urban community like New York City.

“I find teenagers invigorating, smart individuals that we can learn a lot from. In the criminal justice arena we have much more to do in understanding teenagers and we have a lot more to learn about the intersection between the lives of adolescents and the criminal justice system,” said Judge Newton. “There is, I believe, a disconnect. They are not hearing what we are hearing and they do not understand us and likewise we do not understand them.”

Judge Newton commented that teenagers are often described as impulsive, immature, and narcissistic. For this reason, the government does not allow them to drink, drive in some places, or vote, yet, the government feels it appropriate to charge them as adults. “We should, as a court system, find a better way to calibrate the steps we take in a trial of a young person,” said Judge Newton.

Judge Newton has served on numerous committees including the New York State Advisory Committee on Ethics, the Commission on Drugs and the Courts, the Commission on Domestic Violence Fatalities, the Judicial Commission on Minorities in the Courts and the Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts. She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including the Constance Baker Motley Award of the Association of Black Westchester Lawyers.

Judge Newton was appointed to the Court of Claims by Governor Mario Cuomo in 1986. In 1999, she was appointed to the state-wide position of Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives. In this capacity, Judge Newton evaluates, identifies and assesses impediments to justice for low income New Yorkers, and devises initiatives to address them. She concurrently serves as Administrative Judge of the Criminal Court of the City of New York.

The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) has been advancing the health of people in cities since 1847. An independent organization, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world’s urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, education, community engagement and innovative research. Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public’s health; and to implement interventions that eliminate health disparities.

Posted on June 5, 2008

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Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
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amartin@nyam.org

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