DISTRICT ATTORNEY JANET DIFIORE IS THE 2009 RECIPIENT OF

THE STEPHANIE E. KUPFERMAN JUVENILE JUSTICE AWARD FROM

THE WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore has received the 2009 Stephanie E. Kupferman Juvenile Justice Award from the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New

York.

Established and endowed in 1999 by the Honorable Theodore R. Kupferman and named in honor of Women’s Bar Association State of New York member Stephanie E. Kupferman, this award is given to a Bar Association member who has shown outstanding achievement in legal matters involving juveniles over a period of three or more years, as a prosecutor, defense counsel, law guardian or judge.

District Attorney DiFiore received this year’s award in recognition of her work over the past decade as a vigorous advocate for children and young adults.

As a County Court Judge she sat in the Family Court and along with Judge Joan Cooney established the Juvenile Delinquent Part of the Family Court, where she was the Presiding Judge of the Part for two years.

In 2003, with excess funds from her judicial campaign, she donated the money to purchase books for the Children’s Center at the Westchester County Courthouse run by the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester under the auspices of the Westchester Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children.

As District Attorney, she was one of the founding stakeholders in the plan to establish the first Integrated Youth Court in Westchester County.

The purpose of the Integrated Youth Court is to consolidate the cases of young people who are required to appear in a criminal case, as well as in a Juvenile Delinquency or Person-In-Need-Of-Supervision ("PINS") case. This judges and staff of this Court will have special familiarity with the challenges of the age group, and will draw upon a broad range of services for young people that had formerly only been available if the cases were heard in the Family Court. Thus, she applied the knowledge she gained from sitting in the Family Court and the Integrated Domestic Violence Part to develop the protocol to address the unmet needs of youths in trouble.

DA DiFiore also launched several initiatives designed to improve the lives and safety of children and teens:

• In 2006, the Westchester County Child Fatality Review Team was established. The Team reviews the deaths of children under the care of the Department of Social Services (DSS) in Westchester, as well as any suspicious circumstances in the deaths of Westchester children. The team is comprised of representatives of the District Attorney’s Office, DSS, the County Attorney, a forensic pediatrician, the Medical Examiner, Victims Assistance Services, local law enforcement (including the State Police), an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) representative, the Health Department and the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). The goal of the Child Fatality Review Team is to analyze these deaths to make recommendations that will prevent child fatalities. The Team has distinguished itself in being the first team to write its own reports and to issue independent reports to educate the public on topics related to child safety.

• Under the DA’s leadership, Westchester County established a Multi-Disciplinary Team for the Investigation of Child Abuse Cases. The District Attorney’s office works collaboratively with DSS, the Children's Advocacy Center and local law enforcement to investigate all cases of sexual abuse and serious physical abuse involving children. The coordination of these cases is conducted by the District Attorney's office with funding provided by New York State. The establishment of this Team has enhanced the quality of child abuse investigations. The multi-disciplinary approach limits the number of forensic interviews children must endure and provides these child victims with state of the art medical examinations.

• As a judge and later as District Attorney, the DA has addressed numerous parent and community groups about the problem of underage drinking and substance abuse by young people. In addition, the District Attorney's Office has a far reaching program of speakers who address these issues at the middle and high school level, as well as enforcement and education programs designed for police, alcohol vendors and others.

• The District Attorney's Office has introduced Mothers Against Violence Encouraging Responsibility in Community Kids (MAVERICK) a parent-oriented anti-violence program designed to inform parents about resources and programs that offer young people an alternative to violence. Last fall, the District Attorney met with high school students, and also assigned Assistant District Attorneys to engage over three thousand 8th grade students in a discussion of gun violence and the threat it presents to them.

“I am truly honored to have been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Stephanie E. Kupferman Juvenile Justice Award. In any profession, receiving recognition from one’s peers always holds a particular distinction, and when coupled with the fact that the award is in recognition of the work that is of great professional and personal importance to me is sincerely gratifying,” said District Attorney Janet DiFiore. “Although the traditional role of a district attorney has been one of prosecuting crimes and holding the guilty accountable, the enlightened prosecutor of the twenty-first century looks to preempt problems by helping to develop well though out and comprehensive programs to address looming issues before they occur.”

The award ceremony took place at the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York Awards Dinner at the WBASNY’s annual conference at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada.