- Preferred Name, Title, and How Many Years You’ve Worked with CIYJ? Stephanie Jones, Corrections Program Specialist and Site Coordinator. I have worked with CIYJ since 2012. Our first data collection was in October 2012.
- What is the most challenging aspect of your role? What aspect is the most rewarding? The most challenging aspect of my role is coordinating with so many different departments within the facility setting. CIYJ requires involvement and knowledge in every department in a facility from food service to security to reentry.
- Looking back over the past two decades, what do you consider to be CIYJ’s most impactful contributions to the youth justice space? Participation in CIYJ has contributed to our Juvenile Services Division taking a more holistic approach to the rehabilitation of our juvenile population. It has also helped us to develop more consistent processes in care for the youth in our care.
- Can you share a particularly poignant success story, milestone, or impactful moment that CIYJ has achieved during your tenure with us? The reentry grants available make a huge difference for our youth. Several youths at Rubenstein Center have received various reentry grants from CIYJ. We had one that saved enough money with the help of the employment matching grant to set himself up in an apartment, purchase a vehicle and continue employment until he went into the U.S Airforce.
- What message would you like to convey to our supporters, partners, and advocates as CIYJ celebrates this significant anniversary? To CIYJ supporters, partners and advocates: This program focuses on the care and well-being of the youth in our custody but also recognizes that it is important to care for the staff that care for our youth.
- What inspired you to pursue a career dedicated to youth justice? My career in youth justice was inspired by my personal experience as a youth in the system. There is an opportunity to learn from all experiences.