By Valerie Burchfield Rhodes

Inside CASA is a series about the child welfare system and the role CASA OC plays in providing trained volunteers to advocate on behalf of youth within the system.

Eating lunch with the young people serving time in Orange County’s Juvenile Hall completely transformed Amy Crowley’s outlook about youth who have had brushes with the law. Amy is CASA’s Collaborative Courts Program Manager and, as a former Juvenile Justice Commissioner (JJC), one of her responsibilities was evaluating the food served to the youth in juvenile hall. She said, “When I started with CASA, I initially only wanted to work with youth in foster care, but when my JJC work led me to sit with these kids and share meals with them, that’s when I started to learn about their lives. I realized they are smart, they are kind, and they are open to a brighter future.”

Amy draws a direct line from the circumstances that cause a child to end up in the dependency system (foster care), to what can bring them into the delinquency system (juvenile hall). “They come from homes where often a single parent works two jobs and there may not be enough food in the home so they’re out on the streets trying to figure out how to eat. One of the boys lived in a car with his little sister and their mom would take them to McDonalds in the morning to brush their teeth. He stopped going to school at 12 because the kids would make fun of him for wearing the same clothes every day.” She adds, “You hear these stories and realize, these are the same families, the same children CASA is already serving. They are fighting poverty and really struggling.”

David Nusz is a trial attorney who volunteers with CASA as an advocate and as a member of the CASA Board of Directors. He has also served as a volunteer chaplain with the Orange County Probation Department for the past seventeen years. He echoes Amy’s comments by saying, “Many of the factors that bring a youth into the foster care system are the same things impacting youth in delinquency. And while youth who are brought into juvenile hall are in there because they’ve made mistakes, some remain in juvenile hall because there is no safe, healthy environment for them to be released to. Many of the girls have been trafficked and you can’t just release them back out onto the street.” 

This year is CASA OC’s 40th year serving children, teens and young adults in the Orange County foster care system and it’s been a natural progression to expand that mentorship and advocacy model to youth who are “dual jurisdiction” (in the care of both the dependency and delinquency court system). Now CASA is launching a pilot program to serve youth who are exclusively in the delinquency system without the benefit of a social worker and the other wraparound services often provided to youth in the foster care system.

Linh Redhead is an attorney who represents youth in the juvenile justice system and is a big proponent of the benefits that a CASA can bring to a case. “These kids really need a CASA because they need someone to spend time with them, to talk with them, play cards, and get to know them. Then, when they’re released, they have someone they trust who can help them figure out how to get a driver's license or an ID. CASAs will sit down and really talk to their youth and ask them what they want. None of the other professionals have that kind of time to really get to know these kids. That helps a youth to really figure out what they want.”

Linh admits her line of work can be very difficult but she likes working on the delinquency side of the court system because she feels she can make a big difference in carving out what can be done to help a youth. According to Linh, a CASA volunteer plays a big part in the equation. She says, “Having a CASA provides a youth a chance to see what a healthy relationship looks like. Most come from challenging homes, their fathers are missing or in a gang, so they don’t experience a life where somebody doesn’t use them or scream at them, but just wants to be there for them and demonstrate mutual respect. I wish every kid in my courtroom had a CASA.”

Dwayne was incarcerated in juvenile hall when he first met his CASA, Amy Spencer. She was one of the only people who ever visited him and has remained his CASA since his release. Dwayne says, “I don’t know how I got a CASA but everything changed when I met Amy. No one had ever believed in me or cared what I did. Before I met Amy, I used to spend my time on the streets doing stupid things. Now I don’t do that because I want to make her proud of me. I look forward to spending Mondays with her because they are peaceful and fun. My girlfriend likes it when I’m with Amy because she knows that I am safe."

CASA volunteer Jodi Kollar has developed a practical way to prepare her youth for his upcoming release from juvenile hall. She shares a three-page document that she created for him to fill out to keep all his important contacts close at hand upon release. One page lists contact information for his probation officer, his Underground Grit mentor (a partner organization), his CASA, his lawyer, and his college and career counselor. Another page lists his education, career, relationship goals and other aspirations, along with a checklist of important documents to gather; Social Security card, birth certificate, IEP documents, ID cards, etc. The final page lists who to talk to if he needs help with housing, employment, mental health or other issues.

Jodi is really excited to see CASA expand their efforts to advocate for youth in the delinquency system, “I really believe in CASA’s new pilot program because if kids want to get out and really want to change, it can be done and they can move forward. It’s especially important for the older youth because you can really help them re-enter the community. If they’re willing to do the work, you’re going to see success.” She shares a story about one of the youth she has worked with, “My young man got his driver's license, enrolled in community college, and got a job at Angels Stadium. He also got a second job, has returned home, and is a respectful member of his family.” She recently asked him if he would have known what to do upon release if he hadn’t had guidance from his CASA and he told her, “My parents can't help me - they don’t know about this stuff - you’re stable for me - I work so hard because I don’t want to let you down.”

CASA’s Amy Crowley is currently developing training materials for current CASAs as well as prospective advocates who may wish to take on juvenile justice cases. She recently debuted a training module as part of CASA’s continuing education programming for advocates. During the training she shared her “why” for working with incarcerated youth; “These kids are so much more than what brought them into the juvenile justice system. We have an opportunity to walk alongside them and support them in becoming the best version of themselves. While they should be held accountable for their actions, we should also invest in finding opportunities for a different future for them. As a community it makes sense to invest in rehabilitation as they will be adults who will be returning to live in our communities.” 

Because these youth are incarcerated, the typical CASA visit looks different. There are no long lunches at a restaurant, or trips to the zoo, miniature golf or baseball games. In fact, there’s little to do other than talk or perhaps play cards, but according to Amy, this is a prime opportunity to make an impact. “Our juvenile justice system is dedicated to rehabilitation so why wouldn’t we, while they're incarcerated, try to help them? Why would we have them return to the community without helping them get an education? Without dealing with their mental health issues? Why wouldn’t we set them up with their birth certificate and Social Security card so when they leave so they can get a job? Let’s utilize this time to help set them up for success.” 

Jodi agrees, “When they’re in juvenile hall, you have their undivided attention - they can’t really converse with anyone else. She laughs and adds, “That visit, you better be there on time because they are waiting for you - you are their outlet. They know that I’m there for them and I’m not judging them.”

David Nusz says he’s very comfortable with the youth he’s met over his years serving as both a CASA and a volunteer chaplain. He says, “In some ways a visit to juvenile hall can be more worthwhile than an excursion outside since there’s nothing to do but sit and talk. The youth are in no hurry to end the conversation since they have nowhere else to be. It’s easy to engage in conversation and most of them are really sweet. They have a Christmas function every year where I can bring in volunteers for the pageant. For the people who come for the first time, their typical reaction is, ‘I was expecting something completely different.’ They leave and they’ll say, ‘They’re just kids!’ and they all want to come back each year.”

Over the years Irene Strauss has served as a CASA, she has worked with several youth in juvenile hall and speaks fondly of every one of them. She also reflects on the perspective these experiences provide on her own life. “Every one of my kiddos is there because of what life has thrust upon them; things over which they had no control. I have six grandkids and every single one of them come from a loving supportive family who encourages them. They have good, happy lives. Under different circumstances, these youth in detention could be happy productive people, but it's what the world has done to them. We morally owe it to them to give them the best chance we can. That’s what CASAs can do, give these kiddos a chance.” 

Amy reflects on a powerful moment from a conference she recently attended. “The thing that really spoke to me was hearing from youth who have spent time in juvenile hall, about what made a difference in their lives. What I heard over and over wasn’t anything tangible like ‘They helped me get a job or bought me things,’ it was, ‘There was a person who believed in me and told me I could do this. A person I could call if I was sad.’  They just need to know they matter, and we can do that. CASAs can be that one person to say, ‘I’m here for you.’ We don’t have to fix anything, we just have to show up and say, ‘How are you? I’m here for you. I care about you. What’s your day like?’ Letting youth know that they are worth it can have a tremendous impact, and our CASA volunteers can do that for them.

Linh echoes this and says, “These kids just want the basic necessities. One of my youth said, “I just want love, I want someone to be there for me. Another said, ‘I just wish my parents would have dinner with me and talk with me, ask me how my day was.’ Supporting these kids in delinquency is completely compatible with working with kids in foster care because it’s a cycle and if we don’t stop the cycle, when they grow up they’ll have their own kids and will repeat the cycle, and it never ends.” She adds, “One of these kids could grow up to be a doctor and save your life - you just never know.” 

Irene beautifully summarizes what her time volunteering with CASA means to her, “I have had a really good life. When I get home at night, I often reflect on how fortunate I’ve been. I taught for 25 years and loved teaching. I took CASA training, because I didn’t want to lose that interaction with kids. Outside of my family, there is nothing I have loved as much as I have loved being a CASA. I come home with such a sense of connection with every one of these kiddos. I care for them, I love them, and I’m really so lucky to be a CASA.” 

If you’d like to learn more about supporting youth in the juvenile justice system, please email us or sign up to attend an upcoming Information Session.