OTTAWA COUNTY — Retired Ottawa County Court Administrator Kevin Bowling was recently awarded the Ernest C. Friesen Award by the Justice Management Institute’s Board of Directors, an international consulting firm.
Each year, the award is given to a member of the justice community for excellence in justice management and an outstanding commitment to fairness in adjudication. Bowling was recognized at a ceremony held last month in Boston, Massachusetts, during the National Association of Presiding Judges and Court Executive Offices Court Leadership Conference.
Bowling recently retired from Ottawa County. He spent his 44-year career as an attorney, court administrator, judicial branch educator and consultant.
He started his relationship with the criminal justice system on the other side of the courtroom, though, as a “juvenile delinquent.”
“I was in the system and my experiences were horrible,” Bowling said. “I was determined, one way or another, that I was going to get out of that life. I was going to get my education and find a way into the system and make it better.”
Bowling said he’s proud of the work he and his staff were able to do, not only providing easier access to the public (a legal self-service terminal, kiosks and more website functions), but also making the juvenile court system more “therapeutic.”
“It’s not just an entirely punishment-oriented process,” he said. “It’s more therapeutic with programs and counseling available. We continue to work not exclusively with kids, but with their parents and families, too. We provide them with wraparound services that will make them more successful and give them tools they need to work with their kids.”
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Bowling credited all courthouse staff and judges for their work.
“Over the years, they understood and recognized the need for professional development and strategic planning,” Bowling said. “We’ve been known as being great collaborators with others throughout the state and the nation. It’s never just one person trying to manage a court system or make it the best it can possibly be, but it’s a group of committed individuals.”
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