School: University of Tennessee College of Law

I was placed with Tammy Hardin, the Juvenile Court Administrator, at the Catoosa County Juvenile Court. I quickly learned that Tammy is much more than an administrator because she also researches the law, talks with many of the parents, and genuinely tries to help the people who come through the juvenile court.

I spent time with Tammy and her two assistants, Cayce Grove and Holly Hardin, drafting cover petitions, sending out notices, and researching legal and administrative issues. Tammy allowed me to listen to some of her conversations with the parents and kids who come to her for help. I was also able to sit in on some Citizen Panel Reviews, which Tammy spends a great deal of time getting ready for and organizing. These Reviews allow the parents to be more open about how they are following their case plans when the court finds that their children are deprived. The Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) caseworkers also get to testify about the parent's progress. At times, the parents were not happy with the Panel's recommendations; however, unless the parents appeal the Panel's decision, they are stuck with the Panel's findings.

I spent a lot of time in the Catoosa County and Walker County Juvenile Courts. In Catoosa County, Judge Poston was the part-time judge and Judge Giglio was the traffic judge. I was able to observe them both in different trial proceedings because there was hardly a week that I did not spend at least one day observing court. I think that the time I spent in court was the most valuable experience through the internship because I learned a lot by watching the judges, lawyers, administrators, families, and juveniles interact.

In Walker and Dade County, Judge Henry is the full-time judge who travels to both counties. I learned a lot from Judge Henry and went with him and many of the attorneys to lunch on various occasions. Some of the more interesting mentoring experiences occurred at these lunches where I was able to observe these people in a more casual setting. Judge Henry even allowed me to draft a Termination of Parental Rights Order in the first few weeks I spent in his courtroom. This was a very valuable experience, and I learned quite a bit about termination proceedings. Judge Henry also asked me to research various legal issues throughout my internship. One time, he asked me to research an emancipation and deprivation issue because he was going to have a case that afternoon concerning those issues. I quickly learned that Judge Henry truly does try to make the right, legal decision for these parents and children.

I also spent some time with the Assistant District Attorney, Margaret Louttit. Margaret was very helpful and tried to give me a variety of experiences throughout my stay in the juvenile courts. We toured the Rome Regional Youth Detention Center (RYDC), and I followed her to her court date at the Chatooga County Juvenile Court. The RYDC was not a very fun place to be, and I can imagine what these kids go through on a day-to-day basis. However, the staff at the RYDC seemed very committed and genuinely wanted to help these kids better their lives. I also spent some time with Margaret going over complaints and helping her decide how to charge the kids. It was very difficult at first to figure out exactly what law each kid was breaking, but after Margaret talked me through the process, I was able to catch on pretty quick. Margaret also let me help her organize some of her cases that were going to trial. I imagine that it can be very frustrating when a kid denies allegations when there is so much evidence against the kid, but Margaret never seems to get too frustrated with the process. I feel like she really wants to make a difference, and she is trying very hard to treat the kids fairly and justly.

I also spent an afternoon with the juvenile defender, Jennifer Nelson. Jennifer allowed me to sit in on her initial interviews with the children. I do not think that I have the patience for Jennifer's job because the parents and kids do not really seem to care about their situation. However, Jennifer seemed like she was still looking out for the juvenile's best interest even when the parents and children were uncooperative.

I also had the chance to visit the Department of Juvenile Justice office on several occasions. I observed intake proceedings with Bruce Taub, a Juvenile Probation Officer Specialist. Bruce was very understanding and tried to explain to each kid what would happen at the court proceeding. I also spent some time answering phones and assisting the probation officers with various tasks. I really enjoyed the family spirit that they have in their office, and I think that I would really love to work at a place with that sense of camaraderie. Each day, the officers either go to lunch together or eat in the office kitchen together and share about their days. I really sensed a strong bond between the officers and a drive to help their juveniles better their lives.

Overall, I was able to view the whole juvenile court experience from the intake interview with the probation offices to the initial interview with the juvenile defender and to the final court experience. I was also able to follow the complaint process: the complaints come from the police officers who send them to the probation officers for intake interviews. The probation officers send the complaint to the juvenile court for processing, and the juvenile court sends them to the assistant district attorney for charging, and then the ADA sends them back to the juvenile court for sending out notices. Finally, they go to the judge's desk where he reviews the file to familiarize himself with each child's case before the proceeding begins. Overall, each juvenile's file and juvenile seems to go through a long, drawn-out process before they ever reach their initial court experience. However, this truly does seem like the most effective way of dealing with the juvenile court system.