Page 31 - Briefcase Volume 38 Number 1

COVID RESPONSE
eliminate a potential hotspot of disease. The disease may “We have been trying to support state-level responses,
circulate amongst kids, but staff members will also carry juvenile defense responses and community responses,”
the disease out. It makes more sense to send kids home on Scali said. “Almost all of the efforts have really been focused
electronic monitoring and confinement.” on keeping young people out of the system, like halting
Steven Halpert, Juvenile Division Chief of the Harris low-level arrests. We’re also really focused on the release of
County Public Defender Office, added that an ideal young people.”
situation for a juvenile’s release is to have solid supervision Scali also provided a landscape of what is happening
in place. nationally in terms of the work of juvenile defenders and
“Now that parents or guardians are generally at home in other advocates for release.
most of our cases, we do have at least one person that can “We have seen a lot of really creative strategies across the
supervise these kids 24 hours a day, which has often been country, and some unlikely allies stepping in,” she said. “We
lacking in the past,” he said. have polling data that was conducted by one of our partners
The opening speaker was Mary Ann Scali, executive showing that the majority of people do support the release
of youth.”
director of the National Juvenile Defender Center. She
detailed how the organization has been supporting the “Doctors organizations, mental health providers, and
work of frontline juvenile defenders across the country correctional institution leaders, detention facility leaders
in a number of different ways since the start of the all really agreeing it’s critically important we get young
COVID-19 response. people out of facilities that cannot comply with CDC
recommendations for safety and health right now.”

UHLC’S CHASE CHOSEN TO LEAD REGIONAL RELIEF EFFORTS IN RESPONSE
TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

UHLC professor and local businessman Anthony R. Chase will help lead the Houston area’s efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anthony R. Chase, an Associate Professor of Law & and Mayor Sylvester Turner. Jamey Rootes, president
Business at the University of Houston Law Center, accepted of the Houston Texans, will also serve as co-chair.
a role as co-chair of the Greater Houston COVID-19
Recovery Fund in March. The Fund was established by Chase has taught at the Law Center since 1990 and
United Way of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston was awarded tenure in 1995. He teaches Contracts,
Community Foundation focuses on a four-county area, Entrepreneurship, Communications Law and Race
including Harris County. & American Law.
The Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund received “Our primary goal is to make sure the most vulnerable
endorsements from Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in our community affected by COVID-19 have access to
food, health care, shelter and other basic necessities to
sustain them in this crisis,” Chase said.

2020 BRIEFCASE 31