Victims For Justice (VFJ) was founded on fighting for the rights of victims, specifically in the juvenile justice system. Janice Lienhart and Sharon Nahorney’s parents and aunt were brutally murdered during a home invasion by juveniles. Following the murder, a hearing was held but was closed to the public, denying all rights of the family to defend their lost loved ones. It is because of this that the sisters founded VFJ in order to secure rights for victims in the juvenile justice system.
Currently, victims are still confused as to how the juvenile system works. Victims often expect that the juvenile system works similarly to the adult criminal justice system. But it doesn’t. Lizbeth Meredith, a Supervisor at the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) for twenty years, and a long-time friend of VFJ provides a thorough explanation of how DJJ works, along with the difference between the juvenile and adult justice systems and some of the frequently asked questions the department receives.
Meet Lizbeth Meredith
Based in Anchorage, Alaska, Lizbeth holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a graduate degree in psychology. She was motivated to get in this line of work as a result of being a victim of domestic violence herself, and the ability to work with victims while also working with offenders and having a positive impact in the community also was a huge motivator.
The Process
Every day when we get to work, there is a stack of referrals we need to sort through. We view whether, the juvenile is in detention, depending on the seriousness of the crime, or, if it was not a serious crime, we just review the police report. We work on an appropriate response to the police report. We investigate what the juvenile’s treatment needs are and review their record to determine if this is a circumstance where the juvenile can clean up their mess and be held accountable without going to court. Probation Officers are also on call 24/7 and take the police’s phone calls to decide which juveniles are admitted into the detention center or who stays in the community.
Once we discover what drives their behavior, for example, substance abuse, bad peer group, mental health concerns, we determine whether we can assist in restoring the victim and helping the juvenile not get in trouble again and therefore, restoring the community. We do this without going to court and it is worth mentioning that it is not typical for juveniles to come back into the juvenile system. A lot of juveniles do not need treatment as they are, by nature, impulsive, and commit criminal mischief like stealing someone’s car or writing dirty words on the schoolbook.
We also analyze if the parents need support and whether they are open to getting that support. Supervising juveniles in the community and giving them the resources, they need lets us see if we are able to have a positive impact on their behavior.
There are not enough resources in the state for District Attorney’s to be involved in every case. Sometimes there are issues that need to be discussed with the District Attorney such as restitution issues or whether the case was serious enough to go to court. We have the privilege of consulting with dedicated smart attorneys, and we get their full support when we’re dealing with crimes that endanger the community.
Juvenile Probation Officers
If the case is serious, a Juvenile Probation Officer (JPO), is involved. It is important to understand that every juvenile is unique. They each have different things about them developmentally and familywise. At the Department of Juvenile Justice, we want to know what throws their behavior and know what resources are available.
Some of the JPO’s duties are:
-Filing petitions with the court.
-Making appropriate referrals for services, whether or not the case goes to court.
-Recommending a different placement for juveniles other than their homes when they are not safe or properly supervised there.
– Arrests if the juveniles are violating court orders. I must admit that we are doing less of that with COVID-19.
-Negotiate conditions of some plea offers.
FAQ’s the Department of Juvenile Justice receives:
- When entering denials during the first arraignment: Why is the juvenile pleading not guilty, he told police officers he committed the crime.
Response from Liz: This is a procedural matter. The defendant’s lawyer often does not have all of the evidence to reasonably advise their client.
- Length of the sentence: Why is it a juvenile is convicted of only 2 + years or up until the age of twenty for committing a homicide when adults are sentenced to up to 20 years for the same crime?
Response from Liz: If the juvenile committed a crime while he was sixteen years old or younger, he is not subject to the same conditions as an adult is.
The difference between the Juvenile and Adult Justice System
In the adult criminal justice system, they are dealing with the age groups of 16-70, are overwhelmed, and have to rely on more cookie-cutter sentencing. In the juvenile system, we work with kids between the age groups of 11-20 if the crime occurred before they were 18. We believe in rehabilitation over punishment. We are trying to hold them accountable and help juvenile offenders clean up the mess they may have caused their victims or the community with the resources we have available.
Victim impact
At DJJ, we have victim contact as we are fostering a relationship with the victim as we decided whether the victim can be restored informally or whether the case will go to court. We are aware that there are circumstances where victims have little information on the process throughout the trial or disagree with a sentence. The truth is, we have to do better. We have to keep victims informed of the plea deal and conditions in advance as does the District Attorney’s Office. If a victim does not agree with a plea deal, they have the right to let us know or contact the Office of Victims’ Rights or Victims For Justice, depending on the types of crimes.
A victim also has the right to restitution. Sometimes we have a difficult time getting the paperwork needed from victims in order to proceed with orders. However, we understand that they have so much going on right now, in the middle of a legal process, counseling costs, providing receipts, so much that they didn’t ask to be a part of. Victims who cannot get their documentation to the division in a timely manner are sometimes encouraged to pursue restitution civilly.
Closing Remarks from Liz
Liz wishes victims to know that it is important that they get the Probation Officer’s e-mail address and that they share their e-mail addresses with the Probation Officer. “It is important victims feel comfortable communicating with the Probation Officer and that they know they have the option of calling a Probation Officer Supervisor,” Liz says.
Liz is retiring at the end of this month and is looking forward to focusing on her passion for writing, along with developing a podcast. Please join us in thanking Liz for her dedication while serving DJJ for 20 years and wishing her a farewell.
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