The mission of the Task Force is to enable Judicial Branch stakeholders to understand the impact on children of exposure to ACEs (adverse childhood experiences; adverse community environments); and to develop strategies for addressing adverse consequences within our court system.

To accomplish this mission, the Task Force will:

• Provide judges and court administrators with practical education on the effects of ACEs;
• Equip juvenile court officials to recognize young offenders and victims impacted by ACEs;
• Identify existing programs and design new programs that intervene in the lives of young ACEs offenders and victims affected by ACEs to put them on a path away from the courthouse and into a successful adult life; and
• Provide a platform from which court officials can offer feedback to educators regarding their experiences, with the hope of creating further avenues for research on this important topic.

Read about the Bolch Judicial Institute's Trauma-Informed Court program at Duke University School of Law. The program will help educate court officials on ACEs and related issues.

The Task Force members are appointed by Chief Justice Paul Newby and are representative of all stakeholder groups within our court system: judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, clerks, law enforcement, private attorneys, and child-representatives, as well as academic leaders. This talented, experienced, and diverse group is supplemented with an advisory group made up of subject matter experts as well as representatives from law schools, universities, the Executive Branch, and private foundations.

Quarterly meetings to be held around the state:

Friday, August 20, 2021
9:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
North Carolina Judicial Center, Raleigh
Meeting Minutes

Thursday-Friday, November 4-5, 2021

• November 4, 2021 - 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Live Oak (1757 Tiburon Dr., Wilmington, NC 28403)
• November 5, 2021 - 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Harrelson Center (20 North 4th Street, Ste 214, Wilmington, NC 28401)

Friday, January 21, 2022

Friday, April 29, 2022

Chief Justice's Task Force on ACEs-Informed Courts Holds Second In-Person Meeting - November 2021

Salisbury resident Nalini Joseph named to NC Chief Justice's new task force - Salisbury Post, September 26, 2021

County taskforce, chaired by DA, hopes to stop crime before it ever happens - WECT, September 22, 2021

Task Force on ACEs-Informed Courts Holds First Meeting - August 20, 2021

New All Things Judicial Podcast Episode Focuses on ACEs-Informed Courts - June 23, 2021

Chief Justice Newby Announces Task Force on ACEs-Informed Courts - May 18, 2021

• Announcement video

• Thursday, September 23, 2021 - District Attorney Ben David presenting at the 2021 South Carolina Solicitors Annual Conference
• Wednesday, October 20, 2021 - District Attorney Ben David presenting at the District Attorney’s Fall Association Meeting
• Wednesday, October 20, 2021 - Latoya Powell presenting at the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) Annual Meeting
• Friday, October 22, 2021 – Jodie A. Lanning presenting to the Qualified Training Professionals (QTP) program with OSHR
• Saturday, October 23, 2021 - Judge Mario Perez presenting at the Edgecombe County Biennial Community Forum
• Saturday, October 30, 2021 - Mike Silver presenting at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) Adverse Childhood Experiences Southeastern Summit 2021

• 2021 Virtual Fatherhood Engagement Series

ACEsTaskForce@nccourts.org