Kent County is the final county to open a “new and improved” Family Courthouse.
Though construction on the building officially began in late 2023, discussion about a new Family Court facility have spanned the better part of the last decade.
One glaring issue with the previous building was security. Being much smaller in size, the old courthouse would often have lines out the front doors while security ran checks.
And Delaware’s Family Court Chief Judge Michael Newell sees other security-related improvements.
“As we talk about detentioner transport, they do not have come up in the work hallways where we had them in the prior building. And, there’s a dignity to that as well.” he told DPM
In the previous building, trials requiring incarcerated individuals to appear would often mean they walked through staffed or public facing areas, something Newell says was humiliating for the individual and sometimes dangerous for those around them.
The new building, over 100,000 square feet in size, is on Governor’s Avenue in Dover. The final cost was around $142 million, but Newell says it was well worth it.
"We hear in this court some of the most intimate and heartwrenching issues that befall families, parents, and their children… trauma if you will; we’re never going to eliminate it. But, if we can less and soften the impact of that through a brand new building that is open, airy, and of adequate space for them, then we’ve done our job." he said.
The new space is designed with families and children in mind. Many rooms have a section set aside as a “child play area” with coloring books, toys, and a TV playing children's programming.
The current building is currently hearing a small number of trials during a “soft open”. Staff says the facility will fully open on September 17th.
