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 motions. 
 
My impression is that Jessica and her immediate family members have had to spend a lot of time in “survival mode”.  There is a history of domestic violence.  They have lived in several states and, for a period of time, in a domestic violence shelter.  A car accident left Jessica’s mother temporarily disabled and with a permanent injury.  Jessica and her siblings were forced into adult roles at very young ages, taking care of each other and their mother.
 
I initially reached out to the family to assist with community resources, e.g. car repair and health services.  Jessica’s mother reacted with shock; I had the impression she was not accustomed to people offering “something for nothing”.  She accepted my help and encouraged Jessica to reach out to community representatives when she needed assistance as well.  For example, Jessica called me when she needed rides to and from school.  When she got a part-time job, she reached out to her circle for a loaner bike to get to and from work.  The family began to share a great deal of genuine appreciation for the members of Jessica’s circle and a sense of security in being able to reach out for help.  In fact, when Jessica’s mother accepted a job working long hours, often into evenings and on weekends, she asked me to spend some time with her daughters once per week, so they would have more supervision than she was able to provide at that time.  Jessica began to open up more and more to me, talking about everything from hair to school to family and peer relationships.
 
Jessica and her sister very quickly became regulars at weekly YJI study tables.  While a good student, my impression was that Jessica did not push herself to excel.  She told me the environment at study table “made doing homework fun”, and she appreciated time in an environment without the distractions of home such as television.  A good student and athlete, the biggest barrier to her success seemed to be behavior such as the theft she had committed, acting out at school and getting into fights.  Her case monitor spent a lot of time working with Jessica on understanding how our thoughts lead to feelings which may lead to poor decision-making.  Jessica wanted to make better decisions for herself and was making progress.  

However, about six months into her YJI experience, she engaged in another fight at school.  Jessica told me several months later that that fight was a turning point for her.  She had made a decision that could result in her facing charges in court.  She didn’t want that for herself and had begun thinking about what she might do to have more and better opportunities in the future.  When she found out she was going to be allowed to remain in the program, she took it as an opportunity to turn things around.  Jessica said that everything her case monitor had been trying to teach her and what she had learned in the six sessions of the YJI Family Class started to make more sense.  She told me how her thinking had changed.  She became more focused on the possibilities that lie before her as far as higher education and athletic scholarships.  She explained how she had naturally started making better decisions when faced with conflict.  She used the example of a peer at school who had been trying to engage her in verbal and physical altercations in recent months.  She said she realized that this person must have a lot of feelings of insecurity.  She went on to say that she has learned she doesn’t need to take the taunting personally.  “It’s her problem; it doesn’t have to be mine”, she said.  It was as if I was hearing from a completely different person from the young woman I had met so many months before.  Where did the teenager who spoke one-word answers in a whisper go, and who was this mature young woman across from me?  This “new” Jessica also shared with me that it had been very difficult in the beginning of the program when she was not allowed to spend time with a co-offender, but looking back, she sees that the two were not good influences for each other, and she is relieved that she has a healthier perspective on friendships.
 
Not only is Jessica doing well personally, but her leadership skills are shining through.  Her attendance at the study table evolved into her functioning as a role model and peer helper as well.  Additionally, she has volunteered to serve as a Community Representative in another youth’s circle.  

– jessica