Vol. 18, No. 2 • May 2014

Afraid I'd Be Lost
What it Was Like Being Involved Simultaneously in the Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Systems

by Michelle Douglas

My experience dealing with the foster care and juvenile justice systems at the same time was not easy.

With me being involved in a "dual jurisdiction" case, nobody was sure how to get things done or who to go through without breaking policy rules or breaking the law.

For example, I had a hard time getting final decisions made about when and where I would be placed. Would I live in a level 3 or level 4 placement? Was I approved to move?

The next debate was about who can transport a juvenile and how they can be transported. We also had to work around everyone's schedule, which made it hard to have meetings.

Nothing was simple and everything took a long time to get done. There was a constant delay of answers and I never really knew what was going on or who I could turn to for clarification. It really put me in a state of confusion. I felt I had no one to talk to and no one was paying attention to how all of this made me feel. It seemed no one took into consideration what I wanted; instead, they focused on what was easiest.

When I was in detention I felt completely alone. Since I was also in foster care I didn't have family to visit me. I rarely had visitation. On phone call night I could only call my previous foster parent. But she never answered, nor did she call back. So I went months without visits or phone calls.

Then I was assigned a judge that would preside over both my juvenile court and foster care cases. This made it so much easier. She was able to see both sides of what was going on with me and I was able to develop more of a relationship with her. Even though there were still many rules and policy procedures to adhere to, many things--such as family visits and off-campus day visits from the facility--were approved a lot quicker.

This judge gave me hope. I was afraid I would be lost in the system. She gave me a voice by asking me what I wanted and allowing me to speak for myself in court.

If there is one thing I would suggest, it would be that anyone in dual jurisdiction should have one judge for both cases.