Episode Three: One Youth, Dual Systems (ft. Hon. Kristen Johnson and Jessica Heldman)

Episode Descriptions

Episode Three – BONUS 

In this bonus episode of One Youth, Dual Systems, Jessica Heldman and Judge Johnson discuss why dual status youth are at greater risk for sexual exploitation, ways to collaborate with system partners, creative solutions to prevent youth from entering deep-end services, and ideas for how to improve our systems with impassioned advocates.
Season One: Episode Two – BONUS | Release Date: June 30, 2022

One Youth, Dual Systems (ft. Hon. Kristen Johnson and Jessica Heldman)

Who are dual status youth and why do they experience the poorest outcomes among system-involved youth? How can we work together to improve results for these youth? To answer these questions, we interview the Honorable Kristen Johnson, Judge from Hancock County (Ohio) Probate and Juvenile Court, and Jessica Heldman, Fellmeth-Peterson Professor in Child Rights at University of San Diego School of Law, about the current research and its importance to jurisdictional success and the collaborative steps that must be taken to improve outcomes for these vulnerable youth.
Season One: Episode Three | Release Date: May 31, 2022

About the Guests

Hon. Kristen Johnson

Judge | Hancock County Probate and Juvenile Court | Hancock County, Ohio
The Honorable Kristen Johnson is in her second term as the Judge in Hancock County Probate and Juvenile Court. Prior to being elected Judge, she served as Magistrate for the court for five (5) years. Prior to that, she was employed as an Assistant Prosecutor with Hancock County for approximately seventeen (17) years. She graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1988 and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Toledo in 1993. Kristen was appointed to the Governor’s Council on Juvenile Justice in 2012. She is the Founder and Past President of Hancock County Center for Safe and Healthy Children, has served on the boards of the Hancock Christian Clearing House, Hancock Youth Leadership and Ohio Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. Kristen is a graduate of the JoAnne Davidson Leadership Institute in 2012. She received the CASA Community Light of Hope Award in 2006 and 2009. Kristen has served as a Guardian ad Litem for children and previously trained others to be GAL’s through the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Jessica Heldman

Fellmeth-Peterson Professor in Child Rights | University of San Diego School of Law and Children’s Advocacy Institute (CAI) | San Diego, California

Jessica K. Heldman is the Fellmeth-Peterson Professor in Child Rights at the University of San Diego School of Law and its Children’s Advocacy Institute (CAI). Since joining the USD Law faculty in August 2018, Prof. Heldman has taught the course Child Rights & Remedies and co-authored the 4th edition of the text by the same name. Additionally, she supervises students participating in the three clinical opportunities offered by CAI (Dependency, Delinquency, and Policy).

Prior to joining the faculty of the USD School of Law, Prof. Heldman served as Associate Executive Director at the Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice in Boston, MA. In this capacity, she provided technical assistance and training to state and local jurisdictions, guiding the development of policy and practice within child welfare and juvenile justice systems throughout the nation. She has also served as a consultant for organizations including Children’s Rights, the Child Welfare League of America, and Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform. Prof. Heldman is a frequent trainer and presenter on topics related to juvenile court policy and practice, with an emphasis on developmental reform in youth justice, dual status youth, and commercially sexually exploited children and the author of numerous publications on youth justice.

Prof. Heldman graduated magna cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law, where she was a member of the San Diego Law Review and the Order of the Coif. Prof. Heldman serves as a member of San Diego County’s Child and Family Strengthening Advisory Board and is Chair of the Polinsky Children’s Center Advisory Board.

 

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