HISTORY

The present Family Court building opened for business in December of 1988. Prior to that time the Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court judges and domestic relations personnel were located on the second floor of the Trumbull County Courthouse, while the juvenile detention center and the entire juvenile court operation were located in the basement of the old public library building on High Street, which now houses the county law library. The original detention center had six cells and was designed to house twelve juveniles.

During the early 1980's, then Trumbull County Commissioners Margaret Dennison, Anthony Latell, and Arthur Magee, along with Judge John D. DePietro and Juvenile Court Administrator James D. Maderitz, approached the state legislature about obtaining funds for a new facility. Their efforts were rewarded, and with funding provided by the State of Ohio, construction finally began during the mid 1980's. The design and engineering of the building was contracted to the firm of Mosure & Syrakis., Ltd. The new Family Court Center initiated operations on December 1, 1988, under the direction of then Judges Peter J. Panagis and Thomas F. Norton.

Today, the Family Court is currently under the operational control of Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court Judges Sandra Stabile Harwood and Samuel F. Bluedorn. The building is a two-story structure housing the entire family court operations, including the courtrooms, chambers, and offices of Judge Sandra Stabile Harwood and Judge Samuel F. Bluedom, magistrate hearing rooms and offices, the Clerk of Courts for the Domestic Relations Division and the Juvenile Division, juvenile diversion and probation departments, and the juvenile detention center. The detention center is a 24 hour, seven day a week operation with a bed capacity set at 38. The building also houses the juvenile prosecutor's office and the child support division of the prosecutor's office. The building's security officers, provided by the Trumbull County Sheriffs Department, are located at the public entrance to the building on the first floor. The Trumbull County Maintenance Department is responsible for the daily upkeep and maintenance of the building.