UB Center Provides Key Support for Legal Conference on Addiction, Substance Abuse
September 9, 2005
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
A one-day conference entitled “A Family Disease: The Impact of Addiction and Substance Abuse on Children, Families, Family Courts and Communities” and organized by the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Center for Families, Children and the Courts, will take place on Friday, Sept. 23, at 8:30 a.m. The conference, intended for family court judges, masters, court personnel and attorneys, will target the family justice system. The conference will also feature many of the nation’s top leaders in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse in various settings, including workshops and plenary sessions, and will be held at the Loyola College Graduate Center, 2034 Greenspring Drive in Timonium, Md.
Findings from a recent CFCC survey of Maryland Circuit Court judges and masters concerning their levels of expertise about and attitudes toward substance abuse will be released during the conference. This is the first study of its kind in the nation.
Barbara Babb, CFCC director and associate professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, says the event is a rare opportunity for policymakers, scientists, physicians, judges, lawyers and counselors to gather and talk about the real effects of drugs on users, families, communities and society as a whole.
“We’re bringing together the experts to look at the impact of this problem on families,” Babb says. “Drugs are a major stumbling block in our society, and it is important for us to talk together about addiction and substance abuse. Through this important forum, we can utilize our knowledge and resources to improve the effectiveness of our family justice system regarding the substance abuse crisis.”
The conference will feature welcoming statements by representatives of two conference co-sponsors, including Pamela Ortiz, executive director of the Department of Family Administration in the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts, and Diana Morris, director of the Open Society Institute-Baltimore. The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Substance Abuse is a conference co-sponsor.
Plenary session topics include “The Science of Addiction” and “The Role of the Family Court in Addressing Substance Abuse and Addiction.” Each will feature nationally renowned experts, such as H. Westley Clark, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment; Timothy Condon, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse; David Lewis, founder of the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University; and Sis Wenger, president of the National Association of Children of Alcoholics. Breakout sessions will focus on a wide range of subjects, including treatment, confidentiality, drug abuse among adolescents, screening and assessment, the impact of addiction on families and resources available in Maryland.
Additional information about the conference is available by contacting Sharon Curley at 410.837.5615 or scurley@ubalt.edu.
The University of Baltimore is an upper-division, graduate and professional university. UB—the state’s career-minded university—is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Robert G. Merrick School of Business.