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A MESSAGE FROM RETIRED JUDGE DAVID S. WESLEY ON JUVENILE DIVERSION

August 5, 2021
Dear Commissioner,

I have dedicated the past thirty years to developing, in my opinion, the best youth diversion program in the County of Los Angeles, if not the country. The Los Angeles Superior Court Teen Court program is designed to be both proactive and reactive. Teen Court reduces crime in the community by educating youth as to why they should refrain from criminal conduct. I strongly encourage you to watch a Teen Court session so you can see this occurring right before your eyes.

Along with PESA, our dedicated community based organization, we reach diverted youth and their parents in ways that other organizations are just not able to. The core of PESA is to utilize their social worker team to transform youth into respectable members of our community. Please read the article below as an example of this amazing transformation.

I strongly encourage you to consider referring a youth that is eligible for the LAPD JADP (Juvenile Arrest Diversion Program) to the Los Angeles Teen Court through PESA (Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action). By doing so, you will be ensured a quality program with proven results that not only will transform the diverted youth, but will also reduce crime by transforming the other youth participating in the Teen Court session.

Sincerely,

David S. Wesley
Retired Judge of the Superior Court
MOTHER AND CHILD REUNION
By reaching out to a teen, a PESA intern helps a family rebuild its bonds

It’s a group effort at PESA, and a critical facet of our team are the interns who provide their unique knowledge and experience to enhance our work in the community. Our masters of social work interns are trained and educated in trauma-informed care, human behavior and development and mental-health therapeutic models, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing.

Heather Pierce is one of those interns, and the story of her work with her client Jose* and his mom Jessica* illustrates the impactful service interns provide. (*Names changed for confidentiality.)

Jose is a high school senior who ended up in Teen Court on a charge of vandalism, having been caught spray painting on a building. This was not a case of gang-related tagging, says Pierce, but more out of pandemic-induced boredom. Jessica is a single parent who had been experiencing under-employment and erratic hours, again due to the pandemic. The situation, Jessica says, made it very difficult to provide adequate supervision for her son, who in turn was finding himself drifting and at loose ends. In short, they had been feeling disconnected and a bit estranged by the time they found themselves in Teen Court.

Working with Pierce was one of Jose’s conditions of diversion. Jessica had no idea what to expect from this experience, and she was initially worried about finding the time to meet in person with her son’s therapist. But with all appointments now being held virtually, Jessica was able to “meet” Pierce via Telehealth, and the pair readily connected. “Heather encourages me,” says Jessica, “and reminds me that my son is a good person, and that he’s doing really well!” 

Before being referred to PESA, Jessica was concerned Jose was making bad decisions that  could negatively impact his future opportunities. Now, after working with Pierce, she sees Jose thinking long-term about his life, searching for a job and even looking forward to the future.

Jessica says her relationship with her son is improving, thanks to Pierce facilitating conversations. Jessica has been able to open up to Jose, and they talk now more than ever. In fact, after Jose lamented how he wished he could spend more time with his mom, Jessica took a vacation day during winter break, and they spent the time together relaxing and free of distractions. 

Pierce sends Jessica weekly updates to show her Jose’s progress with his anger-management and school-related issues. Jessica says she has seen a change for the better in Jose since he connected with PESA. Pierce has become the family's advocate, and she has been in communication with Jose’s school to ensure he is on track to graduate this year. 

It’s this sort of holistic advocacy that is at the core of PESA’s mission, and we couldn’t do it without the hard work and devotion of interns like Heather Pierce.

If you’d like more information or to support PESA’s many social and educational initiatives, please contact us at pesaemmee@gmail.com