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HomeAbout: Neufeld

In Honor of John Neufeld


Established in 1999 by the Officers and Board of Directors, the John Neufeld Court Achievement Award honors the legacy of John Neufeld, who dedicated 15 years as the Chief of Education and Training for the New Jersey Judiciary and served as the Education Program Coordinator for MAACM from 1996 to 1999.


John was a visionary leader who focused on the critical challenges faced by court managers. His commitment to equipping MAACM members with the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities helped empower them to address these challenges effectively.

This annual award embodies John’s creed and celebrates his enduring impact on our community. Join us in remembering his contributions and inspiring future leaders in the field.


Award Criteria


The John Neufeld Court Achievement Award recognizes individuals or groups who have developed or implemented significant educational programs or court management systems in the Mid-Atlantic region within the last three years. To be considered for this award, the program or system must demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

  • Enhanced Leadership and Communication: Improved leadership, customer service, access, productivity, and communication skills within the organization.

  • Skill Development: Increased competencies, skills, and knowledge of the organization’s members.

  • Teamwork Promotion: Fostered a greater sense of teamwork and collaboration among members.

  • Mission Awareness: Enhanced understanding and appreciation of the organization’s mission across all members.

  • Innovation and Technology: Showcased innovation and creativity by utilizing current technologies effectively.


Nomination Process


If you know of a significant educational program or court management system developed or implemented in the past three years, we encourage you to submit a nomination for the individuals or teams responsible. Self-nominations are welcome!


Nomination Guidelines:

  • Eligibility: Nominations must be submitted by a current MAACM member.
  • Submission Requirements: Nominations should be in writing and include a detailed description of the program, along with the reasons it merits recognition for the award.

Selection Committee: The Selection Committee will be composed of available former Presidents of MAACM, ensuring a thoughtful and fair evaluation process. All nominations will be considered and a selection made no later than 30 days prior to the Annual Conference.


We look forward to learning about your innovative contributions to court management!


  Award Winners

Judiciary Warrant System Program New Jersey 2026
Juror Support Program Pennsylvania 2025
Supervisor Series Delaware 2024
Effective Screening for Abuse Project     Maryland 2023  
Justice Passport Maryland 2022
Judicial District Security Manual Enterprise Pennsylvania 2021 
Bus Station Initiative New Jersey 2020 
Engaging Marylanders via Video Technology Maryland  2019 
Maryland's Self-Help Centers Maryland  2018 
Electronic Recording System for Land Records  Maryland  2017 
Super Supervisors: Stepping Up to Supervision New Jersey  2016 
Employee Security Training Program Pennsylvania  2015 
One Judge-One School Outreach Program New Jersey  2014 
Delaware Court Interpreter Program  Delaware  2013 
Court Scheduling System Virginia  2012 
The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Project Pennsylvania 2011 
Fugitive Safe Surrender Program New Jersey 2010
Young Adult Community Conferencing Program Pennsylvania  2009 
Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Pilot Program Pennsylvania  2008 
Family Court Resource Center Initiative  Delaware  2007 
Court Leadership Certificate Programs Maryland  2006 
Resource Team Partnership Project  North Carolina  2005 
Statewide Customer Service Initiative  New Jersey  2004 
Excellence in Public Service Initiative - FISH  Maryland  2003 
Special Civil Part Volunteer Settlement Program New Jersey  2002 
E-Filing Program Pennsylvania  2001 
Service Quality Team New Jersey  2000 

 

 

A Selection of Award Winners
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
 2019 John Neufeld Court Achievement Award

Maryland Judiciary
My Laws, My Courts, My Maryland Video Library Project


The Maryland Judiciary developed and implemented a unique educational technology solution to provide access to legal information and to support individual engagement with the courts. Advancing the Maryland Judiciary's mission of providing fair, efficient, and effective access to justice for all, the Court TV & My Laws, My Courts, My Maryland video library project unifies court staff on a statewide basis in alignment with leadership priorities at the highest levels. The Maryland Judiciary's collaborative vision features a two-pronged outreach plan to engage Marylanders via video technology: (1) installation of an enterprise video distribution system in courthouses statewide, and (2) introduction of a live-action format for educational legal videos in a newly-designed online library.


 2020 John Neufeld Court Achievement Award

New Jersey Courts (Atlantic and Cape May Vicinage)
Atlantic City Bus Terminal Outreach


The Atlantic City Bus Terminal Outreach is a monthly outreach event at the Atlantic City Bus Station staffed by members of the Judiciary and various social service agencies. With little more than a laptop and remote access to Judiciary databases, court staff assist the public with bench warrants, outstanding fines, court dates, expungement eligibility, and diversionary programs with the goal of providing options so court users can resume productive, fulfilling lives in our communities.

In May 2015, the court, along with several social service agencies, began having outreach events at the bus station on a quarterly basis. Since mid-2016, the Vicinage has been hosting events monthly. The program has served almost 2000 people since 2015. The purpose of these events is to address bench warrants and link attendees with available social services. The overall goal is enhancing trust in the courts. Participants report to the bus station on the last Tuesday of the month between 8 and 11am. Court staff perform criminal background checks to identify outstanding bench warrants and contact the appropriate courts to address the bench warrants. Participants then receive information about their outstanding matters, such as proof the warrant has been recalled, a future court date, and information on outstanding fines/fees. Participants then meet with the various social service agencies in attendance and receive housing and employment assistance, legal aid, healthcare, and substance abuse counseling.


 

2021 John Neufeld Court Achievement Award
Pennsylvania Administrative Office of the Courts
Pennsylvania Security Program


The Pennsylvania Security Program was selected by the Neufeld committee as it embodies the tenants of the Neufeld award. The effort was a strategic initiative developed to improve security in Pennsylvania District Courts in six component areas: incident reporting; judicial threat management; emergency preparedness; security administration; as well as vulnerability assessment and security training and education. 


 

2022 John Neufeld Court Achievement Award
Maryland Judiciary
Maryland Passport Program


The Maryland Justice Passport uses trauma-informed technology to help people navigate the legal system. A grant-funded partnership project of the Maryland Judiciary and its nonprofit sector partner.  Civil Justice, Inc., the Justice Passport is an app designed to help people without lawyers as well as the organizations that serve them. It can be used on a computer or mobile device to help individuals keep track of the following:

  •    Program(s) they have visited
  •    Next step(s) they will need to take
  •    Where they have been referred
  •    Important paperwork and court documents

The application helps to prevent people from being re-traumatized as a result of repeatedly sharing their story, since information about their case is transmitted seamlessly and securely to the referral resource via the app. The program does not use artificial intelligence; instead, court help center staff and a program administrator assist litigants to develop their case summaries, upload case documents, and navigate the legal services delivery system. Maryland Court Help Centers use the tool to make referrals that promote fairness, track data about referrals, and support litigants in managing their case and working with the referral resource.

 

2023 John Neufeld Court Achievement Award

Maryland Judiciary
Family Mediation and Effective Screening for Abuse Project


As more Maryland jurisdictions implemented mediation alternatives for family cases, the need for effective screening methods for abuse and intimate partner violence became a critical component to ensure the process and potential outcomes are fair, voluntary, and do not further endanger victims. The Maryland Judiciary’s Family Mediation and Effective Screening for Abuse Project is a carefully developed process to effectively and efficiently screen all child access cases filed in Maryland to determine whether mediation is appropriate and, if so, whether certain safety precautions should be utilized.   

In January 2020, the Maryland Judiciary’s Domestic Law Committee first created the Family Mediation and Abuse Screening Work Group to review the Mediation of Child Custody and Visitation Disputes rule (Md. Rule 9-205) to ensure it sufficiently guides Maryland courts in (1) screening custody and visitation cases for abuse of a party or child; and (2) referring appropriate cases for mediation. After determining that the definition of “abuse” in Rule 9-205 only included physical acts of violence or threats of bodily harm, but not those “coercive control” type behaviors that would also make referral to mediation inappropriate, the Work Group was successful in having the Court of Appeals adopt a modification to Rule 9-205 to define “coercive control” as “a pattern of emotional or psychological manipulation, maltreatment, threat of force, or intimidation used to compel an individual to act, or refrain from acting, against the individual’s will.”

The Work Group then analyzed the various screening tools and determined that the Mediator’s Assessment of Safety Issues and Concerns (MASIC), an empirically validated diagnostic tool for mediators to screen for intimate partner violence, should be the recommended screening tool for statewide use. The work group sought out the advice of the creators of the MASIC tool, Professors Amy Applegate and Amy Holtzworth-Monroe from Indiana University, who agreed to help the Judiciary study the effectiveness of a new shorter version of the MASIC that also includes a danger assessment for each screen (i.e., the MASIC-S, with DA) in a pilot project in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County. 

Finally, the work group developed several recommended policies, procedures, and practices on how child access cases should be screened. These include doing multitiered screening, conducting separate and private screening interviews with each party, keeping confidential all information obtained through the screening, ensuring all screeners are qualified and trained on use of the MASIC tool, and providing parties with information and education on why cases need to be screened. Now, through the Administrative Office of the Court’s Juvenile and Family Services office, the Judiciary is implementing a centralized screening process to effectively and efficiently screen all 13,000 child access cases that are filed in Maryland each year.  


2024 John Neufeld Court Achievement Award

Delaware Judicial Branch
Supervisor Series

  
The Delaware Supervisor Series aims to develop high-potential employees' supervisory capabilities through:
  • Eight classes plus an orientation session.
  • Required participation in an online discussion board to reinforce learning.
  • Focused training on:
    • Transitioning from individual contributor to team leader
    • Time management
    • Employee engagement
    • Setting clear expectations
    • Understanding communication styles
    • Mediating conflict
    • Conducting effective interviews

Since its inception, 40 employees from the Delaware Judicial Branch had graduated with 16 additional participants enrolled at the time of the award presentation.


  2025 John Neufeld Court Achievement Award

Patrick Martin & the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania
Juror Support Program

The Philadelphia Courts partnered with West Chester University’s Community Mental Health Services to provide jurors with free post-service mental health support. Launched in April 2025, the program is designed to help jurors manage anxiety, stress, and trauma that may arise during or after trials, particularly those involving sensitive or graphic testimony.

Through the program, jurors are eligible for three free 30-minute phone sessions with Dr. Michele Pole, a licensed psychologist specializing in trauma and PTSD. In addition to these sessions, the program incorporates Psychological First Aid (PFA), an evidence-based approach that offers immediate coping strategies for individuals affected by distressing experiences. When necessary, referrals to other licensed community providers are also available.

Accessing the program is simple and confidential. At the conclusion of a trial, judges provide jurors with a business card containing a QR code. By scanning the code, jurors are directed to West Chester University’s Community Mental Health Services clinic, where they can arrange their free sessions. This process ensures privacy and makes the resource easily accessible.

The support program is open to all jurors, whether they served on civil or criminal cases. It is especially valuable for those who may have experienced secondary trauma, anxiety, or emotional strain from exposure to difficult testimony or evidence, such as in cases involving homicide or sexual assault.

By offering professional, confidential assistance, Philadelphia Courts are recognizing the emotional impact of jury duty and providing a practical way to support jurors’ well-being.

2026 John Neufeld Court Achievement Award

New Jersey Courts
Judiciary Warrant System Pilot Program


The Judiciary Warrant System (JWS) Pilot Program, launched in Burlington County, modernizes and centralizes the issuance and management of bench warrants across criminal, family, and municipal courts. The web-based system integrates with existing court systems to reduce duplicate data entry, improve access to warrant and case information, and enhance efficiency for court staff, judges, and law enforcement.

JWS brings court personnel, law enforcement, prosecutors, probation, finance, and other stakeholders together through a secure, shared platform. Real-time updates, automated notifications, electronic case integration, customizable worklists, audit histories, and streamlined warrant issuance, execution, and recall processes improve communication, accountability, and coordination across agencies.

Supported by comprehensive staff training, the program promotes professional development and collaboration while reducing administrative burdens and allowing court personnel to focus more effectively on judicial operations and public service. The Burlington County pilot demonstrates how thoughtful use of technology can strengthen court operations, support the Judiciary’s mission, and provide a model for broader implementation.