Arizona Supreme Court Justices tour Pinal County Juvenile Justice Center

Taking a different path than others will always get you noticed.

Pinal County’s Juvenile Court Services have done just that in their quest to keep kids out of detention and get them back home. That philosophy caught the attention of the Arizona Supreme Court.

On Tuesday Arizona’s five Supreme Court Judges, led by Chief Justice Ruth McGregor, took time out from their busy calendar to visit and see what makes Pinal County different from the rest.

“It’s a huge honor,” stated Juvenile Court Services Director Diane McGinnis moments before the justices arrived. “It says a lot about what Pinal County and the courts are doing for children’s justice.”

The Pinal County Youth Justice Center officially opened in February. The 51,500 square foot facility was built to hold 96 beds in seven pods. It also houses six classrooms, a library and 69,000 square feet of recreational space.

“We have the philosophy that we have built a detention center around a school,” Juvenile Court Presiding Judge Gilbert Figueroa said. “We feel the Juvenile Court is the most important court because we can reach these kids early and help to shape their lives in a more positive manner.”

Just after the justices and their law clerks arrived at the facility, McGinnis, along with Judge Figueroa had a chance to discuss the methodology used in dealing with the kids who are in their care.

“We try to get them out and not just house them here, just to house them,” McGinnis said. “Currently we have 38 kids in detention, down from 72 who were previously here.”

In addressing the justices and their clerks, Judge Figueroa said he has heard officials from other counties refer to their stints in Juvenile Courts as “going down to Juvenile Court.” The Presiding Judge said, firmly: “We live by the creed that we are ‘up at the Juvenile Court.'”

During his time as the Presiding Judge for the Juvenile Court, Figueroa said he has been honored to hold such a position.

“Most judges want out of the Juvenile Court situation,” the Judge said. “I am lobbying to be kept on as Presiding Judge.”

Throughout the tour the justices remarked how impressed they were at the amount of thought that went into planning and constructing such a facility.

“You can see the effect of the input of the staff in this building,” Chief Justice McGregor said, following the tour. “Pinal County is in front of a lot of counties when it comes to juvenile justice.”

After the tour of the Youth Justice Center, the justices toured the Pinal County Courthouse and then went on to Coolidge to hear oral arguments in two cases at the Coolidge High School Performing Arts Center.