Law Day

Today was three things:

1. My last day at Juvi
2. E's court date
3. Law Day

Let me explain "Law Day." It's a annual holiday for law enforcement and judicial officers. What does that mean? That means that all defense attorneys, prosecutors, police officers and magistrates have an in-service type day. They all get together and learn about interesting cases, have guest speakers, and don't hear any cases. It's not something that was a surprise, this event was planned way in advance (so why was E's court date scheduled for today?...) That means that when I showed up at Juvi this morning, E was all dressed up (black slacks, collared shirt, leather shoes) with no where to go, literally. Court date #18, moving right on to #19.

This unexpected turn of events (although looking at the evidence --18 court dates-- perhaps I should have expected it more) left me in a dejected mood for my last day of Juvi. A day which I also hadn't planned any activities for. So we passed the time with music, a bit of chess, a bit of soccer, and then Issac and I went to the court to see if we could talk to the pp (polisi prosecutor) for E's case. He said to come back on Monday and they could talk.

Basically, what E's case is boiling down to is money. The people who accused him have stopped coming to the court dates but the magistrate is prolonging judgement in the hopes of getting money. E's school will allow him to go as a day-schooler while he's still in Juvi and once he's released he can attend as a boarder. But to see the look on his face this morning, all of his things in a pile on his bed, ready to go, ready to leave, and he can't. So, I've decided to participate in the oh-so offensive practice of bribery. Apparently the magistrate can delay the case as long as s/he wants. But, if I can give the magistrate some money, and that will make the magistrate show up and dismiss the case, fine.

Well, today wasn't the happiest of endings, but and ending isn't the whole story. I've greatly enjoyed my time at Juvi, getting to know the boys and providing a distraction. I suppose that today is just an example of the reality of these boys' situation. You do what you can, with what you have.