#WeekInJustice: Week 192
The past couple of weeks have been so busy, I haven’t had a chance to share with you a number of developments and events.
- In our Juvenile Unit, we had a retirement at the 30 year mark of Lisa Valenzuela. Lisa is one of only two employees left who served under all three administrations in the modern era here at PCAO. We will miss her terribly, but I LOVED the story she shared that she is the baby of all the siblings and the only one retiring. “I’m looking forward to not having to be the first to leave the Carne Asada every Sunday night!” Congratulations, Lisa! And thank you for all those years of service to our community!
- Speaking of Juvenile, that division outpaced the trial schedule with more trials in juvenile court than Superior Court this week. A huge thank you to the Juvenile Division which continues to carry a heavier load than normal, as we work to keep more children out of adult court.
- The annual Red Mass occurred on October 15, which is a mass downtown at St. Agustin Cathedral, given by the bishop to bless lawyers, judges, and first responders. The honorees this year, who receive a papal blessing from the Vatican, were Officer Ysela Welding who works with the Mental Health Support Team at TPD and Judge Thadeus Semon. PCAO has a special relationship with Judge Semon as he runs the nationally renowned Tucson City Veteran’s Court and graciously accepts Pima County veterans by referral from our office. It was also great to see PCAO Chief Fabian Pacheco, PCAO Detective Jerry Diaz, and former TPD Lieutenant and current Diocesan Security Chief Ben Jimenez catching up. A lot of history there!
- Joining a panel at Catalina High School to take a fresh look at the school to prison pipeline, we viewed a new short documentary titled, “The Forgotten Prisoner”, which shows the struggle of children left behind when Mom or Dad, or both, are incarcerated, and the incredible caregivers who step up to save a life. A very difficult topic in an intense place to do it, which again, is how you know you’re in the right place: outside our comfort zones.
- The Victim Services Division graduated 36 new crisis and court volunteers from their 7 week training. It was such a pleasure to visit them and THANK them for their incredible contributions!
To be continued,
Laura
