The best day of the year
It’s one of the happiest days for a judge! After hearing child abuse and neglect cases every day in court, National Adoption Day is an amazing experience as we finalize multiple adoptions so that foster children find their forever families. Sheer Joy!
It is a privilege to serve the public as a juvenile court judge. My days are filled with children and families who need the assistance of the court. I have presided over thousands of cases involving abused and neglected children, who I have removed from their homes and placed into foster care to keep them safe.
I also hear cases involving children who are runaways, truant, sexually exploited, on life support, or involved with the juvenile criminal justice system. My primary goal has always been to secure the welfare and safety of children. During my years as both a judge and a lawyer I have heard the compelling stories, sometime tragic and often inspirational, of thousands of children who have come into my courtroom from many different walks of life.
Everything in the juvenile court is about the kids. Developing connections with them builds trust and once that trust is there, the kids are open to help. When kids are in the foster care system, the goal is to keep them safe but to get permanency for them, whether it is reunifying them with the parents or getting them into adoptive homes. One of my greatest joys has been meeting kids of every age, listening to them and following through on the promises I can make to them. Celebrating their successes and helping with their struggles is one of the most important goals of the Juvenile Court. Like any other court, hearings, trials, motions and adjudications are part of every life for a judge, but connecting with kids and letting them know that their dreams are attainable is what brings about success in the cases I hear.
One of the most meaningful accomplishments for me as a judge began over ten years ago when I began giving books away to children who come under my court’s jurisdiction. I set up a library in the waiting area and asked local schools to donate books for children of all ages. I have found that children, especially those in foster care, LOVE books and are thrilled when we tell them to take books with them and keep them. Many ;people do not realize that children placed in foster care under emergency circumstances often go with only the clothes on their backs. When I hand a book to these children, they are so excited to have something that belongs to them…not the social worker or foster parent. We have given away over two thousand books since we began the book project. Another important project that I began with our court is the book bag giveaway project. With donations from CASA- Court Appointed Special Advocates, we gave away over 100 book bags every year for several years to kids in foster care or to families struggling financially.
Working with kids to minimize their involvement with the juvenile justice system where they risk being detained on criminal matters is so important. Diversion programs allow me to work with kids in a way that will keep them from coming into the court system, or to limit their involvement and prevent them from having a criminal record. Over 12 years ago, I entered into a partnership with the University of Massachusetts Medical Center Injury Free Coalition to provide a one day intensive program at the medical center for juveniles charged with motor vehicle offenses. Over 1,000 kids have completed the TEEN R.I.D.E program run by doctors, nurses, paramedics, social workers, judges and probation officers. The program is so successful that it has been written about in a medical journal. Other programs like the B.R.A.C.E. Project (Bullying Remediation And Court Education), partner with a large inner city school system to address and remediate bullying behaviors in order to keep kids out of court.
Privileged to have received awards from these groups
