Department of Juvenile Justice

So I had the most awesome experience yesterday. This block (which is almost over lamentably) I've been on Behavior and Development which is basically an opportunity to learn about normal childhood development, abnormal development, diagnostic skills in developmental disorders. We also spend time looking at community organizations that meet the developmental needs of children so that if we have patients in need of those services we know where to refer them. We also get to see what it's like for parents trying to navigate the system (a part of creating empathetic physicians I suppose) We visit PPECs (medical daycare), schools, Early Steps Intervention Testing Centers, Private PT, OT, and ST offices, schools of all types from those who have extreme behavioral issues, to autism, to CP, to for the blind. But yesterday we went to the Dept of Juvenile Justice, got a tour of the jail, their medical facility, the school, learned about their diversion programs, and the various types of courts. Then we just kinda spent the rest of the day courtroom hopping. It was sad to see the kinds of trouble kids get themselves into. It was sad to see the hearings for placement of children or revocation of parental rights. However it was amazing to see that there are great people in the legal system who are advocates for children even the ones who get into trouble. It was nice to see so many kids offered diversion programs and a chance to not have a stupid decision ruin their life. My sister when I mentioned that I was going there said to me that it's a great program when it works well. I kinda did a double take b/c for one thing my impression of the criminal justice system is that is callous, punitive and not rehabilitative. My second thought was how can anything that deals with kids in legal trouble be good. However I will say after spending the day there she's right. It is a good program. It has flaws I'm sure. It'd be better to have no need for the program but I'm glad its there. I wish there was more funding for it.