funded a similar project in her Hancock County family court facility .
“ Ever since 2005 I had wanted to create a similar space in the Hancock County facility ,” she says . “ We have been given much , and we are expected to give back in return . It is just that simple .”
The children ’ s rooms also provide a comfortable , flexible space for Chernenko to interview children and capture their testimonies . “ The fear and stress these children feel is tremendous , but the playroom setting of the children ’ s room makes all the difference ,” she says . “ I pop Daniel Striped Tiger into the DVD player , and we watch together while we chat . They become relaxed , and while what I hear from them is testimony , they think of it as playtime with Judge Joyce .”
As part of her continued work with families and children , she followed the example of a WVU College of Law classmate serving as an Eastern Panhandle family court judge to implement a family court parenting mediation program in her circuit two years before this kind of program was mandated statewide by the West Virginia Legislature . Because most of the custody cases in the pilot program were being resolved by parental agreements through the assistance of a Supreme Court-trained mediator , she saw its potential benefits for the First Circuit .
The real benefit , however , was not to the court system in general but rather to the parents and children . “ After having had mediation in place for nearly 15 years , I see that 75 percent of my custody cases , even the most contentious , never go to trial because they are resolved by an agreement between the parents through mediation ,” she says . “ They are invested in an agreed parenting plan , and they rarely return to court with disputes after the plan is implemented by court order .”
Chernenko also adopted a parent education program in her circuit prior to the West Virginia Legislature implementing the same kind of program statewide .
“ The parent education program does not teach parents how to parent . Rather , it opens parents ’ eyes to all of the negative actions they take when they are going through a contested custody case — negative things that emotionally harm their children and actions that are designed to hurt the other parent through using the children ,” says Chernenko . “ The class shows them just how harmful these actions are to their
Kids ’ Korner , located at the Hancock County Court facility . Photo by Raymond Smith .
children , with hopes of minimizing the negativity and bad acts . I have seen wonderful results with the program and heard parents cite the instructor ’ s teachings when they come to court , showing that they are clearly remembering his lessons .
Chernenko considers her greatest success to be the children and domestic violence victims she has helped throughout her career .
“ Recently an attorney practicing in another state approached me and reminded me that I had presided over her parents ’ contested custody case when she was a teenager ,” she says . “ She told me that the way in which I dealt with her in her parents ’ case was one of the reasons she decided to become an assistant prosecutor who handles abuse and neglect cases . That is a true success .”
Chernenko also strives to set an example for the future of the state ’ s legal system
Chernenko at her Wheeling re-election event in 2016 . Photo by Raymond Smith .
by regularly mentoring Bethany College pre-law students during internships in her court . Since 1996 , she has also advised the women of Bethany ’ s chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha , of which she is a member .
“ I believe it is important to provide a strong female role model for college women — indeed all young women — today , particularly in the field of law ,” says Chernenko . “ We who are in the judiciary have a duty to set an example for young women of coming generations . They have a great need to witness successful women giving back to others . I know the Bethany women I work with are watching what I do and following my example . I hear it in how they speak about their future , their career goals and their life goals . Moreover , if I hear them talk about giving back , then I know I just might have made a small impact on a generation going forward .” •
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