One year on the bench

Brown County Probate/Juvenile Judge Val Lewis has been on the bench for a year now. It’s been an eventful 12 months.

“I realized the other day that I have not been judge at any point where COVID has not effected the court and the building. I think the staff has done an amazing job, considering the challenge of the past year,” Lewis said.

“I am looking forward to being a judge without having to worry about all of the restrictions and other issues brought about by the pandemic.”

When asked about changes he’s made since taking the bench, Lewis said “One of the first things we did was renovate the building, changing it to make it my view of what I wanted the courthouse to be. We now have two courtrooms, when in the past they were using one. That allowed us to be more productive and keep the docket moving so people get answers and justice faster.”

Other changes have come to the court as well.

“We were also able to advance technology. Each courtroom is now equipped with large video monitors where we are able to have people appear in court remotely. They can appear from detention centers or law offices or anywhere else it makes sense for people to be able to do electronically when they can,” Lewis said.

Video appearances are also helpful if someone involved in a case has difficulty traveling.

“If I have an elderly person somewhere on a probate or guardianship issue where a family member is asking me to grant guardianship because their health is bad or they have cognitive issues, instead of them having to physically come to my courtroom, they can talk to me where they are most comfortable,” Lewis said.

He has also made efforts to settle disputes before they have to come before him in court.

“We have also created a mediation program. As an example, unmarried people can come here with a dispute over parenting time. They can’t go to a divorce court because they aren’t married, so their jurisdiction is my court,” Lewis said.

Some of the issues at play include determining parental rights, child support, visitation and other disputes that can arise when two parents are involved.

“We have hired Attorney Lisa Rothwell to meet with these people for up to three hours. She is there to assist them, answer their questions and come up with solutions for their situations. If they reach an agreement, she actually drafts the papers for them while they sit there, finds me or one of the magistrates and they can leave that day with a final agreement and their questions answered,” Lewis said.

He also talked about how the justice system doesn’t always have to pit one person against another.

“Some people are just looking for answers when they come to court. Some people are just looking for help. And the public is not paying for this program. The participants are. It’s a lot less than they would pay for an attorney for a court hearing,” Lewis said.

When asked about the personal and professional rewards of helping people settle disputes, Lewis said “I feel that it’s ultimately what I was elected to do. I’m streamlining the process for the community. I’m giving them what they want in a faster way and people are leaving the courtroom satisfied.”

The discussion then turned to juvenile crime, which is another issue that Lewis is trying to address in a proactive way.

“We still have the traditional approach with juvenile offenders whose crimes are of such a serious nature that we have to remove them from the community. But there are others that we try to get in front of and intervene in their lives before they become serious offenders,” Lewis said.

“My court administrator Charles Ashmore and Lisa Rothwell have created what we call the EYES program. It stands for Enhanced Youth Engagement and Support. What we have done is placed a lawyer in the Georgetown school system in an early intervention program.”

Lewis said the program allows school employees to alert the court to potential problems while there is still time to fix them. It’s a program that Lewis would like to expand.

“We are hopeful that this program grows into every school in the county soon. We are hoping to get funding to be able to do that.”

Keeping some youthful offenders out of court by intervening early will save money, but Lewis said the benefits of doing so are deeper than that.

“It’s not just dollars. It’s the impact on people’s lives when someone gets their house broken into or someone’s child is the victim of a sex crime or when someone is assaulted. There is no dollar amount that you can assess to that,” Lewis said.

He added that the court is working on another way to keep potential youthful offenders on the right path.

“We are going to reach out to local villages about establishing a community service program. There are a lot of kids that I don’t want to put in jail or give them a fine that their parents end up having to pay. A community service program is them actually having to spend time doing work for doing something wrong, so they remember it next time,” Lewis said.

“We want these non violent offenders to come out to the villages where many of them live and work to enhance the places where they have broken the law.”

Lewis said that he and Court Administrator Charles Ashmore will even talk to local employers about employment opportunities for offenders who successfully complete the community service program.

Lewis also talked about enforcing child support payments, a topic that he has made a priority for his court.

“We have also restructured the child support system with the idea of operating more efficiently. We have a full time magistrate to hear the child support docket, and we also have a full time prosecutor and public defender to represent the people accused,” Lewis said.

“We are going to put people in jail if they don’t pay their child support. If people don’t pay child support, that contributes to the cycle that can potentially create more youthful offenders.”

Truancy is also the responsibility of the juvenile court. Lewis has made changes there as well.

“We are building a classroom here at the building for truant students. If the kids don’t go to school like they should, they are going to come here and do class with the judge. It’s going to a case where modern times meets an old fashioned approach,” Lewis said.

Lewis also took the time to praise Ashmore and the rest of the court staff.

“I have a great staff that works hard to keep things moving for the people of Brown County. If it were not for their efforts and dedication, we would not be seeing these positive results.”