So today I had been provided with the opportunity of experiencing the honorable Judge Ethan A. Wolfinger in action at the Yavapai Juvenile Justice Center here in Prescott, AZ, and I must admit it was an awesome and rewarding experience to say the least. I had the privilege of observing court cases of all levels ranging from drug paraphernalia to juvenile criminal cases, and even seeing first hand the use of Rule 11~ A.R.S. § 8-291.08(D), which allows for a case to be dismissed if a child is incompetent with a low IQ, and will not be restored to competency within 240 days. This further would allow for the case to be dismissed with prejudice, meaning the court cannot come back later to charge the child with the same crime once he/she is of age and competency.
This experience truly opened my eyes to the many issues that the youth here face here in Prescott. One observation I was able to make was the fact that most of the youth here in Yavapai County are having many problems with substance abuse. It's sad and scary all at the same time. What angered me the most was the lack of parental supervision. I understand it is the summer time and lots of kids are just hanging around looking for something to do, but why such a high rate of drug and alcohol abuse?.....For some reason there seems to be a rising occurrence among the youth within this community.
I feel Judge Woldinger did an exceptional job today in court. Although he was stern, of which I feel a lot of these kids truly need is some REAL discipline, however, he was genuinely concerned for their well being. I could tell the Judge was very bothered with a lot of these cases and this was confirmed later after meeting in the Judge's chambers, where I was able to gain a real sense of the seriousness of the many issues surrounding drug dependency among the youth here in Yavapai County. A lot of these issues stem from problems within the home environment. It saddens me to see these beautiful and young bright kids go down such a dark path and many of them don't have the love and support needed within the home. At one point within the Judge's chambers, I was even able to view a very popular drug called "Spice" of which seems to be gaining much popularity among the youth within the community along with "Bath Salts" and Meth.
What was especially heart breaking to learn was that many of these kids have no sense of stability or encouragement within their homes. I feel CASA's (Court Appointed Special Advocates) are very much needed in order to provide these lost souls with some type of moral support and stability within unstable households.
On a lighter note however, I was able to observe what the court calls "Promotions" for the youth that do well within the drug rehabilitation programs. Four certificates were handed to the teens that were successful in remaining sober for a decent length of time. I was also present for meeting them before the ceremony in order to observe them as they discussed their many challenges in trying to remain sober and challenges they are prepared to face later on. One young man in particular stood out to me the most because of his response to the question "what are you planning to do with your life?" He responded that he wanted to be a mentor and help other youth just like him in trying to lead better lives. He wanted to be a positive example and role model. Now at this point within the meeting I became teary-eyed because it was such a beautiful blessing for myself to experience first hand the changes that this young man has undergone within a brief amount of time. It proved that there is still hope for many of these kids who are currently leading a destructive lives.
It was from that very moment of being fully present as that young man shared his dream of wanting to be a mentor, I knew this is where I am suppose to be.
I am truly humbled and blessed to have experienced such a rewarding and inspiring moment. I only pray there are many more to come.......
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