Judge Miday Receives McLin Award
Cleveland: Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Sherrie Miday is the 2021 C.J. McLin Award honoree from the Ohio Justice Alliance for Community Corrections (OJACC).
Judge Miday was presented the C.J. McLin Award at the Annual OJACC Conference in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, September 30, by Cuyahoga County Chief Probation Officer Maria Nemec.
The C.J. McLin Award is presented annually to an elected official in Ohio who has worked toward the improvement of community corrections in the state. The award is named after the late State Representative C.J. McLin, Jr., who actively worked during his time in office to improve community corrections through funding and legislative change.
Judge Miday developed and currently presides over the Court’s High-Risk Domestic Violence Docket that began accepting cases in September of 2020. In 2019, HRDVC received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Innovations in Supervision Initiative: Building Capacity to Create Safer Communities Grant Program
“To be recognized by the Ohio Justice Alliance for Community Corrections is such an honor,” says Judge Miday. “This award is not just for me, but for the many people who worked so hard to create this life-saving specialized docket.”
The HRDVC accepts male and female defendants charged with felony offenses involving the most severe forms of intimate partner abuse, including incidents of near-fatal strangulation and/or the use of a firearm in the offense. Studies have shown that when a victim is strangled, they are seven times more likely to become a victim of homicide by their partner. An abuser’s access to a firearm in a domestic violence situation increases risk of intimate partner homicide by 20 times when there is a history of violence. The three-year grant allows for referral of 50 cases a year to the High-Risk DV Court.
“We believe that a dedicated, high-risk domestic violence docket will ensure consistency, promote accountability and provide resources for both the accused and the victim,” adds Judge Miday. “By doing this, we hope to reduce recidivism and make our communities safer.”
Judge Miday was nominated for the C.J. McLin Award by Linda Lagunzad, the Assistant Administrator for the Corrections Planning Board.
In his supporting letter for the nomination, Administrative and Presiding Judge Brendan J. Sheehan wrote, “I am proud of Judge Sherrie Miday and her team’s courageous work. Although only one year into its implementation, the docket is already at capacity, a testament to its need.”