Cali

When I met Cali for the first time she was asking all sorts of questions and demanding that our staff call her “Baby.”  Her brother, Jamie, was kind, but often irritated or embarrassed by her behavior. Jamie had been reluctant to bring her to Study Table, but I...

Maria

Maria moved to WDM from Texas. She has five sisters. She and her youngest sister live at home. Maria’s father was brutally murdered by his brother. Initial contact with the family was negative as an older sister was engaged in domestic violence. Police provided...

Tyrone

When we met Tyrone, we were unsure if he had the intellectual ability to participate in YJI. Tyrone was a 16-year-old African American boy who suffered from schizophrenia. He was referred to YJI due to an assault and he was using marijuana.  Tyrone was...

Jessica

At Jessica’s first Youth Justice Initiative (YJI) circle she appeared to be uncomfortable, speaking very quietly and giving one-word answers to questions.  She did not appear to be engaged in the YJI process, but instead was going through the...

Darren

Darren was 15 years old and shoplifted. He was only allowed to leave the house to go to the grocery store due to COVID fears of his family. He wanted to go to school because his GPA was so low (.04), but his mother was hesitant and needed help with three younger...