In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, WA, saw a recurring problem in his courtroom:
"In criminal and civil cases, even though there were always many different points of view, you walked out of the courthouse at the end of the day and you said, 'I've done my best; I can live with this decision,' he explains. "But when you're involved with a child and you're trying to decide what to do to facilitate that child's growth into a mature and happy adult, you don't feel like you have sufficient information to allow you to make the right decision. You can't walk away and leave them at the courthouse at 4 o'clock. You wonder, 'Do I really know everything I should? Have I really been told all of the different things? Is this really right?"
To ensure he was getting all the facts and the long-term welfare of each child was being represented, the Seattle judge came up with an idea that would change America's judicial procedure and the lives of over a million children. He obtained funding to recruit and train community volunteers to step into courtrooms on behalf of the children: Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers.
This unique concept was implemented in Seattle as a pilot program in January 1977. During that first year, the program provided 110 trained CASA volunteers for 498 children in 376 dependency cases.
In 1978 the National Center of State Courts selected the Seattle program as the "best national example of citizen participation in the juvenile justice system." This recognition, along with a grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation of New York City (one of CASA's earliest and strongest supporters), resulted in the replication of the Seattle CASA program in courts across the country .
Today, CASA of Lafourche is one of over 930 CASA programs across the United States, including Washington, DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Prior to June 2007, CASA of Lafourche was managed through CASA of Acadiana. From 2008 to 2009, we operated under CASA of Terrebonne. On October 1, 2009 CASA of Lafourche officially became an independent organization, no longer partnering with CASA of Terrebonne.
For statistics on the number of volunteers trained and the number of children served by CASA of Lafourche, you can read a copy of our annual report by clicking the button below.
"In criminal and civil cases, even though there were always many different points of view, you walked out of the courthouse at the end of the day and you said, 'I've done my best; I can live with this decision,' he explains. "But when you're involved with a child and you're trying to decide what to do to facilitate that child's growth into a mature and happy adult, you don't feel like you have sufficient information to allow you to make the right decision. You can't walk away and leave them at the courthouse at 4 o'clock. You wonder, 'Do I really know everything I should? Have I really been told all of the different things? Is this really right?"
To ensure he was getting all the facts and the long-term welfare of each child was being represented, the Seattle judge came up with an idea that would change America's judicial procedure and the lives of over a million children. He obtained funding to recruit and train community volunteers to step into courtrooms on behalf of the children: Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers.
This unique concept was implemented in Seattle as a pilot program in January 1977. During that first year, the program provided 110 trained CASA volunteers for 498 children in 376 dependency cases.
In 1978 the National Center of State Courts selected the Seattle program as the "best national example of citizen participation in the juvenile justice system." This recognition, along with a grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation of New York City (one of CASA's earliest and strongest supporters), resulted in the replication of the Seattle CASA program in courts across the country .
Today, CASA of Lafourche is one of over 930 CASA programs across the United States, including Washington, DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Prior to June 2007, CASA of Lafourche was managed through CASA of Acadiana. From 2008 to 2009, we operated under CASA of Terrebonne. On October 1, 2009 CASA of Lafourche officially became an independent organization, no longer partnering with CASA of Terrebonne.
For statistics on the number of volunteers trained and the number of children served by CASA of Lafourche, you can read a copy of our annual report by clicking the button below.
