nothin Emma Jones Endorses Carchia | New Haven Independent

Emma Jones Endorses Carchia

Emma Jones and Americo Carchia.

Criminal-justice activist Emma Jones, who has worked in the Probate Court for over 20 years, has endorsed one of three candidates running to replace the current probate judge, Jack Keyes, who is retiring. Following is the text of Jones’ endorsement.

I remember being introduced to Americo Carchia by Judge John A. Keyes over 20 years ago. At that time, I was handling guardianship files for probate court, and since then I have served as executive director of the Service Center and piloted a number of successful programs for the court.

My support of Carchia comes as a result of having firsthand knowledge of his impeccable accomplishments and extensive experience as an advocate and champion of the protection of the best interest of children and families in the City of New Haven Probate Court for the past 22 years.

Having worked closely with Judge Keyes for many years, I know that his successor will have the awesome responsibility of making decisions and judgments that will profoundly affect the lives of those who come before the court.

Carchia is blessed to have been mentored by Judge Keyes in addition to having extensive experience holding every role an attorney can have in probate court. He has been prepared and empowered to make difficult but sensitive and fair decisions. He has learned through experience how probate reaches far beyond wills, trust, estate, probable cause, conservatorship and extends deeply into the nuts and bolts of guardianship, adoptions, and children and family matters, as well.

Over the years Carchia has seen how grandparents raising children represent a growing trend in America. He has watched relatives and nonrelatives step forward to care for children whose parents are terminally ill, deceased and or otherwise unable to care for them. In Connecticut, he has seen the number grow to over 52,000 children who live this way.

Many of their caregivers live on limited and fixed incomes, or otherwise, fall below an adequate household income. But there are also a significant number of caretakers with comfortable incomes who are caring for children whose parents are affected by substance abuse or other circumstances. 

Carchia has learned how to match the different needs of these caretakers and the children they care for and knows how to provide the help and support they need. He knows that these are among some of the most vulnerable citizens in the City of New Haven and that they have immediate and compelling needs that cry out to be addressed. And he has the experience, skill, and talent to find ways to meet those needs.

I support Carchia simply because he has been in the trenches for over 20 years answering the calls, supporting, advocating and helping to stabilize and place children in familiar caring environments in their community.

During my tenure at probate court, I spearheaded a variety of programs in support of children and their guardians. The most rewarding thing that has happened in my life was being able to create the kinship program, the respite program, the extended family program through the work of the Children’s Trust Fund. Carchia has been instrumental in helping to make these programs work. The next judge is going to need a bundle of both support and experience to keep the progress made intact and to further expand the partnerships that are in their embryonic stage of development.

Carchia brings not only stellar legal experience but a lifelong commitment to being an agent of change. He can get things done. I have watched him do it.

In a nutshell, James Russell Lowell said it best: One throne of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning.”

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