Judges Who Launched Pioneering Court Programs Receive Aranda Award

• Jurisdiction: California,United States
• Citation: Vol. 08 No. 2016 Pg. 02
• Publication year: 2016
• Pages: 02
• Year: 2016

Judges who launched pioneering court programs receive Aranda award No. 2016 #02 California Bar Journal August, 2016

Psyche Pascual, Staff Writer

On Ventura County Superior Court Judge Colleen Toy White's desk sits a photo of 15 young mothers.

The mothers were graduates of the drug dependency court program White launched in 2000. By helping the moms gain parenting skills and get treatment for substance abuse, participants were more likely to avoid another clash with the law. White also launched similar programs to help the military veterans struggling with mental health problems, the homeless facing vagrancy charges and elders dealing with domestic violence complaints.

It’s a sweet memento of the babies they cradle, but it is also a reminder of how White’s work in the courthouse has kept them out of legal trouble.

"There's a lot more to life than crime and punishment and putting people in jail, " said White, 71, who spent more than two decades in the district attorney's office. "We deal in people's lives literally being turned around."

White's work in creating such programs is a major reason reason she's received the 2016 Benjamin J. Aranda III Award This year, White and San Diego County Superior Court Judge Julia C. Kelety were honored as co-recipients.

First awarded in 1999, the accolades are named for Judge Benjamin J...