School: Samford University

The Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program enriched my summer, changed my plans for the future, and increased my sense of awareness of community issues (and the ways children are influenced by these issues). Prior to my ESCAP placement at the Rockdale County Juvenile Court, I knew very little juvenile delinquency and deprivation. My work on three specific projects led me to acknowledge that juvenile law is the field I want to work in after I complete my undergraduate and graduate studies.

The first project that led to this realization was my work with the Juvenile Investigator, Leesa Puckett. As I looked into cases to complete statistical reports, I began to see a direct link between deprivation and delinquency. For example, the kids who were considered deprived at age five were, more likely than not, labeled delinquents at age fourteen. This obvious link caused me to consider pursuing a career in addressing this problem from a preventative standpoint. The correlation between deprivation and delinquency is strong and deserves attention from people involved in the juvenile court process.

The next project that influenced my goals for the future involved my assistance with the opening of the Evening Reporting Center. The ERC opened in June, and I worked closely with the ERC Director and the Juvenile Court Programs Coordinator to develop paperwork, curriculum, policies and procedures, and a procedural guide. My experience with the Evening Reporting Center's grand opening taught me a great deal about grant writing and the success of creative sentencing. While I was not part of the Juvenile Court staff when Programs Coordinator wrote the original grant, I did help to find and apply for several grants to provide additional resources to the ERC. If I go into juvenile law, it is my goal to take advantage of grants to provide opportunities for creative sentencing. I truly believe that juveniles have the chance to change their life if given the right opportunity. Secure detention does not provide the "right opportunity" for most juveniles.

The final experience that truly shaped my summer involved my translation of court documents to Spanish. Translating legal jargon proved to be extremely difficult. It helped me to appreciate how lost Hispanics must be when they come to court. Even with a translator, many legal phrases simply do not make sense to other cultures! This experience also reiterated how important it is that I continue to learn Spanish. The legal field is desperate for bilingual lawyers, judges, and other employees. Hispanics are not treated fairly by most court systems. The court provides a translator, but many documents are not translated and there is no one to explain American legal procedures that are confusing to the Hispanic culture.

While I completed many tasks this summer, the three above mentioned responsibilities proved to be the most educational. As a result of my internship, I have a deeper compassion for children who break the law. Whereas I used to believe that jail was the best option for lawbreakers, I now understand the value of creative sentencing. This internship has also made me passionate about follow-up programs for parents and children who were involved in a deprivation case. I believe increasing the number of follow-up programs will decrease the number of juvenile delinquents in a community. I truly believe that juvenile justice is a field that deserves my time and energy, and I hope to make a difference in children's lives through my career choice.