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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2019)
January 2, 2019 Page 3 INSIDE The Week in Review C ALENDAR This page Sponsored by: page 2 page 6 photoS by m otoya n akamura /m ultnomah c ounty A 48-page handbook for parents with children in the criminal justice system offers tips on everything from visiting hours at the Donald E. Long Detention Center to a glossary of common justice terms to tips for court appearances and important contacts for parents. Juvenile Justice Primer pages 5-11 Arts & Parents help craft resource for navigating system ENTERTAINMENT M ETRO O PINION C LASSIFIEDS J eSSica m orkert -S hibley The normally busy halls were silent. The bustling students were noticeably absent. Folded tables and chairs, stacked against the au- ditorium wall, signaled the day was done at Rosemary Anderson High School in east Multnomah County. Still, a small group of parents, mentors, lawyers, judges, elected officials and juvenile justice lead- ers, gathered in the quiet halls to rally and mark a momentous oc- casion: the release of the “Parent Handbook for Justice-Involved Youth.” The 48-page handbook includes everything from visiting hours at the Donald E. Long Detention Cen- ter to a glossary of common justice terms to tips for court appearances and important contacts for parents. It was crafted by legal experts and parents who’ve endured the twists and turns of the criminal jus- tice system — so they could help and empower other parents to un- derstand and navigate it. The hand- book is part of a multi-pronged strategy by Multnomah County to address youth and gang violence. “This [handbook] is a labor of anger and tears but also of love,” said Alice Perry, the Latino Net- work’s director of community sta- bility and support services. “When our children suffer we also suffer. But we always have faith in our children even in the worst of cir- cumstances.” Shala, a single mother of four, helped craft the parent handbook. She described the trauma the day by page 9 pages 12-13 pages 14 Shala, a single mother of four, helped craft the Parent Handbook. she got the call from police who detained her son at his high school. He had stolen a teacher’s cell phone. Dealing with the legal sys- tem was daunting. “When you first get the call, it’s like, ‘Oh my goodness,’ and then when you get there [juvenile court] they say, ‘Oh, you’re looking at 30 days or up to a year in detention,’” Shala said. The arrest was the culmination of years of struggle with school sys- tems and at home for the 42-year- old. As a young child, Shala said, her son was treated and punished differently at school. As early as the second grade, he received an Individualized Educational Plan that followed him throughout his educational experience, she said. “It’s humiliating, for one,” said Shala, “because they see your record, and it’s automatically a c ontinued on p age 15
