Judge Steven C. Teske (pictured at right) created this website at the request of numerous child advocates and juvenile justice practitioners in Georgia and from around the country to access information about detention reform in juvenile justice and the developments of the detention alternative initiative began by Judge Teske and supported by his judicial colleagues in Clayton County, Georgia. Judge Teske, prior to going into the practice of law, was employed with the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles as a parole officer in the inner city of Atlanta and later promoted to Chief of the Atlanta Parole District and Deputy Director of Field Services responsible for Offender Program Development. As Deputy Director, Judge Teske was charged with developing a new supervision program for parolees. He traveled the country on technical assistance from the National Institute of Corrections to observe programs proven successful in reducing recidivism among offenders.

Upon identifying the common characteristics of each program, Judge Teske developed the Specialized Track and Phase Program (STAPP), which is based on a risk and needs classification system and the development of supervision tracks according to criminogenic, or crime-producing, needs. This program formed the groundwork from which the Board of Pardons and Paroles developed their award winning "Results Driven Supervision" Model. Judge Teske received his Associate of Arts in Political Science from Clayton State University (formerly Clayton Jr. College), Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Law & Society from Georgia State University (cum laude), Master of Arts in Political Science from Georgia State University, Certified Public Manager Diploma from the University of Georgia, and Juris Doctor from Georgia State University College of Law (having been awarded "Outstanding Student Litigator" by the American Board of Trial Advocates).

Judge Teske left the Board of Pardons and Paroles to practice law and subsequently became a partner in the firm of Boswell & Teske with offices in Atlanta and Jonesboro.  During his practice of law, Judge Teske served as a Special Assistant Attorney General representing the Clayton County Department of Family & Children Services, including the civil prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases.  He also represented other state agencies in matters involving state tort and civil rights litigation.  Judge Teske is admitted to practice in Georgia and before the Georgia Court of Appeals, Georgia Supreme Court, U.S. District Court (Northern District), 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.  Judge Teske is a member of the National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges and the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges and is the Immediate Past President of the Council.  He is a member of the American Correctional Association ( having been elected to serve on the Delegate Assembly representing adult community corrections) and the American Probation & Parole Association.  He served as President of the Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity (SCHFH) from 2005-09 and currently serves on its Board of Governors giving advice to the SCHFH Board of Directors.  He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Securus House Battered Women's Shelter.  The Governor has appointed Judge Teske to the Judicial Advisory Council of the Board of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice.  The Governor also appointed Judge Teske to the Governor's Office for Children and Families (GOCF) and serves as the Vice-Chair.  By nomination from the Governor, Judge Teske aslo serves on the Federal Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice, which advises the President and Congress on juvenile justice issues.  He serves as the parliamentarian and co-chair of the Legal Affairs Committee.  He is chair of the Disproportionate Minority Committee (DMC) for the State of Georgia, which is a sub-committee of the GOCF and develops strategies to reduce racial and ethnic disparities throughout the State. For his efforts in detention reform, Judge Teske has received the Judge Romae T. Powell Award from the Juvenile Courts Association of Georgia, the Howard Ables Award from the Georgia Juvenile Services Association, Clayton County NAACP Community Service Award, Clayton County Bar Association Community Service Award.  Judge Teske is the primary architect of the FAST-START Detention Alternative Program, ehich was the recipient of the 2005 President's Award of the American Probation and Parole Association. Judge Teske has also published articles related to juvenile detention reform in The Link, published by the Child Welfare League of America titled "Using Collaborative Strategies to Reinvent Juvenile Justice" and in Juvenile and Family Justice Today published by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges titled "Reducing Detention Using Collaborative Strategies: It Takes a Community." He has also published an article on Court Appointed Special Advocates in @ LAW titled "CASA: Watchdogs for the Abused & Neglected." In his effort to improve legal representation of children in abuse and neglect cases, Judge Teske requires that all children in dependency proceedings be provided legal counsel in addition to a guardian ad litem.  He has written an article setting forth his legal position and suggestions for system change published in the Georgia Bar Journal titled "The Next Generation of Child Advocacy." He is a trainer with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) and is a presenter and keynote speaker on juvenile justice and child welfare topics including detention reform, school to prison pipeline reform, legal representation of children in dependency and delinquency proceedings, diversion and alternative sentencing, and other related topics.  Judge Teske, along with his partners in the school system, police, district attorney's office, and others, provide techincal assistance to courts and their stakeholders on detention reform and reducing school referrals to the courts and promoting school safety.